Why Do They Always Ignore Self-defense?

Stalking: Living in fear 01/25/07 They even talk about "Self Protection," but not about self-defense. Call police. Go to a shelter. Run. Hide. Pray.

The statistics are telling.

An estimated 76 percent of women who were murdered and 85 percent of those attacked were stalked the year before the crime, according to the Michigan Department of Human Services.

They do get some things right.

Stalking is not OK. Incessant calling, unwanted gifts, surprise visits: None of these things is romantic or whatever. No means No. And the that applies to calls, contacts, letters, everything.

Trust your instincts. You have them for good reason.

"The scenario is a person ends a relationship and that person they dumped won't go away and accept that the relationship is over," [executive director of Ann Arbor's SafeHouse Center, Barbara] Niess said. "Or many times the victim thinks they have the situation under control and don't take it seriously until it escalates into something serious."

Niess believes that most women have a lower expectation for safety than men.

"When you think something's not right, it probably isn't," Niess said. "Women usually underestimate their gut."

But what to do about it?

Michigan passed a concealed carry law a few years back. Women who can pass a background check are certainly in a position to do more than hope for the best, or hide in a shelter. (35 days is the maximum stay. What happens after that?)

Self-defense is a human right.