In the heat of an argument, a woman grabs a gun and fires at her spouse, trying to kill him. She misses. Realizing the horror of what she has tried to do, she throws down the gun and embraces her husband. Another woman, also arguing with her spouse, grabs a gun and shoots at him. She, too, misses on the fi rst shot. She fi res again and again, a total of four times. Three of the bullets strike her husband and cause serious injury, but he is eventually able to run away from her and escape to safety.

Instructions 

1. Go to the website 

www.cengage.com/criminaljustice/samaha. 

2. Read the selection on the defense of voluntary abandonment and the rationales for it. 

3. Write a one-page essay explaining why you believe the defense of abandonment as an ethical public policy should apply to both, one, or neither of the women who shot their husbands. Be sure to include the rationales of abandonment that support your answer.