Woman might be charged for leaving her husband without telling him.

[Lyric]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2554172

There's my original thread in GD, with a better explanation. People need to understand why this would be a horrible, intense setback for women if it actually happens. We are NOT required to go "check in" in anyone if we decide we want the hell out. *seethes*

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. What??? I gotta go check on that thread because it sounds insane.

[madeline_con]

2. I agree. AND I have a thought...

Suppose a kid goes missing. The cops spend a bunch of money looking, and 3 days later, find out the kid's been staying at a friend's, let's say without the friend's parents' knowledge.

Do the parents get charged for the search costs? Or those of the kid who's harboring the runaway?

Having said all that, maybe there should be a number people could call to report that they're fine, but have left, etc. to prevent this happening. Sort of a clearinghouse, if you will. Or is there one? :shrug:

[Lyric]

3. I think the police should just use common sense.

If there's a reason to believe someone might have been abducted/hurt/lost/etc., then go look for them. If it was a "runaway bride" situation, where someone faked it--yeah, make them liable. But if nobody did anything wrong, then stop freaking trying to hold people financially responsible for the cost of the search. That's what our taxes are for, you know? It just seems like police will look for any little reason to charge you with a crime these days, and *this* particular one is just horrifically wrong from the POV of a woman who KNOWS what it's like to run for the state line and hope nobody catches up (aka--ME).

[sk8rrobert2]

4. This is fairly rediculious

charging you with a crime because you exercised your first amendment of the constitution and left.

[Boojatta]

6. Do you mean left with someone else and not alone?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

[emilyg]

5. More on story.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/29/woman.safe.ap/index.html

[Donald Ian Rankin]

7. I think the OP title is innaccurate and misleading, I'm afraid.

What she "may" be charged for is faking her own death, not leaving her husband without telling him.

From what I've seen of the case, it seems that she probably *didn't* intend to fake her own death, and as far as I know she hasn't been charged with doing so. But it's that, and not the leaving her husband part, that there's any issue about.

[Warpy]

8. Or just leaving her car behind in a place

where a reasonable person could conclude she was lost, had an accident, or had drowned. Leaving any kind of a note behind would have solved her problem and she and the new guy would be as happy as if they had good sense.

The note didn't have to check in with a husband, only alert the cops that nothing had happened and that she had left of her own free will and wasn't coming back.

[electron_blue]

9. I left a "note" when I left my abusive husband.

He ripped it up and threw it away. Yeah, like leaving a note is going to really solve anything.

Agreed -t his would be a horrible setback on many levels if it actually went through. Faking one's own death is something I think is already addressed by legal statues and should be enough. We don't need a new law for this.