Feds take stricter definition of domestic violence

I mentioned how the definitions of domestic violence and rape are expanding to include normal human activities that no one ever considered criminal.

I am happy to report that the Trump administration has returned to a saner definition.

A feminist site complains:

As of April, as Slate first reported earlier this week, the definition of domestic violence as it appears on the website of the Office of Violence Against Women no longer includes language about non physical abuse.

Here’s how the DOJ defined domestic violence during the Obama administration (emphasis mine), per an archived version of the website:

A pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone.

Here’s how the DOJ now defines domestic violence as of April 2018, under Trump:

The term “domestic violence” includes felony or misdemeanor crimes of violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse or intimate partner, by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction receiving grant monies, or by any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person’s acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction.

The Trump administration has limited the definition of domestic violence to criminal physical assault, ... By limiting the definition to physical assault, the DOJ is making it harder for victims ...

“Domestic violence is clearly defined in VAWA, and OVW has always used the statutory definition in carrying out its mission,” the statement read.

Separately, the NY Times has a feminist essay complaining that 90% of sexual harassment complaints to colleges are about off-campus conduct that has nothing to do with the college, and new Trump administration guidelines will not try to make the colleges police such off-campus non-criminal behavior. This is more good news, as colleges should not be punishing students for such behavior anyway.