Update on the desi man in Wisconsin who is accused with slipping an abortion drug to his pregnant girlfriend causing her to miscarry multiple times (tip Chickpea). [Story link]

Manish, the accused in court
img: via ABCLocal.go.com

Manish, who has been accused by his girlfriend, Darshana, of slipping the abortion drug RU-486 into her food and drink, causing her to miscarry is out free after posting a $750,000 bond.

The thing that caught my eye in this update was the culture clash experienced by an American justice system trying to resolve a case rooted in the Indian culture. Darshana is a doctor by profession and, among other things, provided Manish with a house, while being abused by him. When questioned on why she continued to stay on in the relationship despite the abuse, Darshana’s attorney attributed it to her culture.

Asked why Patel — whom she called “a highly qualified doctor” — remained in an abusive relationship for months, Lautenschlager said, “She is also a woman of Indian descent who has grown up in an Indian culture. That cultural overlay has perhaps played on the actions she may or may not have taken.“

Some counselors also attribute Darshana’s tolerance of her abusive boyfriend on her Indian culture.

Domestic abuse counselors say her Indian culture may have made it difficult for her to seek help. She had financial security — she is a doctor who bought him a house — but counselors say she may have felt trapped.

Darshana Patel said she didn’t report the incident because she didn’t want others, especially her parents, to know she was seeing a married man.
Cultural norms ingrained in South Asian women compel them to remain loyal even if they’re being abused, said Maneesha Kelkar, director of Manavi, a New Brunswick, N.J.-based organization that provides resources for South Asian women who are victims of violence.
Counselor Shobha Rao said South Asian families often pressure abused women to put their families first.
“Even if the women go to their parents, the parents might just say, `Just try to work it out,’ or `Oh, just have a child, that’ll make things better,”‘ said Rao, a program coordinator with the San Jose, Calif.-based Maitri, which helps South Asian families deal with domestic violence.

So what do you think? The fact that our culture is pacifist by nature, is a well known fact. At the risk of sounding anecdotal, should we in fact be taking a second look at some of the social evils within our culture instead of thumping our chests claiming cultural superiority over the world? Is it (our culture) in fact becoming somewhat of a liability in a global society, where we end up putting up with things we really don’t have put up with in the first place, because “it is that way in our culture”?

Thoughts? Opinions?

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