Survey study, 2020
Can premenstrual syndrome be used to reduce criminal responsibility?
This research examines whether women should be legally excused from criminal responsibility because of PMS. It identifies legal barriers to using such evidence in courts.
What they did
Examined the relationship between female criminality and PMS and reviewed how PMS evidence is used in criminal trials.
What they found
Legal barriers exist when trying to use PMS evidence to reduce a woman's criminal responsibility. There is tension between recognizing women's experiences with premenstrual symptoms and avoiding over-medicalization of normal bodily functions.
What it means for you
Laws need to develop more thoughtfully to recognize women's specific experiences with premenstrual symptoms while being careful not to medicalize normal bodily changes. This is a conceptual analysis rather than a study of actual cases.
About the study
- Original title
- Road-mapping the Contradictions Around Premenstrual Syndrome: A Medico-legal Quandary
- Authors
- Upma Gautam, S. R. Sharma
- Journal
- Journal of Victimology and Victim Justice
- Year
- 2020
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1177/2516606921994030
Topics
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