The refusal to criminalize crimes in the home and the decision to 'medicalize' them as 'family dysfunction' (resulting in gluing the victim to the predator) causes a legal and personal nightmare for women who are victim-wives or the mothers of victim-children. The text explodes the myth that the benign language of the new 'therapeutic' understanding of abuse is a progressive substitute for citizen protections. It is not true that the ideology of 'preserving the family' actually serves the interests of most Americans, and in fact, this approach actually destroys the trust and commitment inherent in the institution of the family. In upholding the privacy of the family above the right of every individual to be protected under the law, proponents are allowing criminal acts to occur, with the victims having little if any recourse under the law. Case studies documenting abuse cases are included, along with notes and an index. (Author abstract modified)