I confess-- didn't read all of the thread. I usually do.... this one is just hard to fully read, and I salute all of you that did/do/will.

But a point about biology, with which we all struggle, in case it has not been made. The rejection of a raped woman as marriageworthy has to do with the biological (species survival) imperative for a male to establish his own genetic line... this also can lead to the murder of stepchildren by male partners... yes there are social factors at work there but these are thin covers or justifications of a basic animal instinct that's hard sometimes to face squarely.

Of course we, being humans, are charged with rising above our biology, and raising our expectations of others above our perception of their biology. But it's in there. Sometimes it helps to stay aware of that, when trying to figure this awful stuff out.

~Susan