Few people argue that it's OK for a woman, even an abused woman, to shoot a man in cold blood when she's not in danger at the time. There are shelters for battered women, and the staff know not to tell who's there. So why can't women just leave?

The trouble is, the system was designed to keep a record of who was where, when.

It is better not to have a rule at all, than to have one which is not taken seriously, because disregarding the rules grows habitual.