That Crime Of The Month

What does it mean when a woman commits a crime and attributes her
actions to PMS? We revisit the first use of the "PMS defense" in
this country, back in 1981. What have we learned about the science
of PMS since then? Last year, the American Psychiatric Association
classified a form of PMS (Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD)
as a mental disorder in the DSM-V. How can the scientific community
study severe premenstrual symptoms without perpetuating the utterly
unscientific idea that menstruating women aren’t mentally competent
or liable for crimes they commit? We talk to lawyer Stephanie
Benson who used PMS as a defense for her client Shirley Santos
after Santos was charged with assault and endangering her children.
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Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Artwork by Julienne Alexander.
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