Stand Your Ground’s Woman Problem: Laws Expanding Self-Defense Raise Questions About Gender as Well as Race

With Marissa Alexander’s recent release from prison, it’s important to consider the gender and racial biases in Stand Your Ground laws.

Author Mary Anne Franks writes for The Huffington Post: “A person can presume that a stranger breaking into his house means him harm, and can thus use deadly force against the stranger. A domestic violence victim cannot presume that the person who has been beating her or has threatened to kill her — even a person against whom she has obtained a protective order — means her harm if he enters their home, and she cannot use deadly force against him until the moment he attacks her.”