A Silenced Scream

As I am reading through Deuteronomy, that are not too many instances where I find myself completely at odds with the laws and practices of the Israelites. I truly do not find myself arguing against the Israelites being commanded to Love and Obey the Lord (chapter 11), nor am I protesting the inclusion of a year where all debts are canceled (chapter 15). However, the laws/practices concerning women in chapter 22, specifically verses 20 - 24 and 28 - 29, are very difficult for me to accept or even rationalize into being acceptable.

As a 21st woman and social worker, I have an extremely difficult time reading the responses to how a woman should be treated when she is a victim of rape. My strongest reaction though is to the response mandated for a betrothed woman is raped within the confines of a city. If a betrothed woman is raped while she is in a city, then she and the raper are to be stoned, she "because she was in a town and did not scream for help..." Deut. 22:24. Apparently the Israelites did not have access to Law and Order: Special Victims Unit or half of the movies on Lifetime because I can think of several instances where a victim is unable to scream for help. The threat of death, being gagged or drugged can silence the voice of a woman even in the most violent of circumstances.

I understand that the thinking behind the passage is that if a woman did not scream out during her attack then she must have been a willing participant, which would have been a violation of her marriage contract. However, this is a much too simplistic answer to a situation that could be anything but simple.