According to statistics provided by the National Organization for Women (NOW), each year, 1,400 American women die at the hands of their husbands or boyfriends; an estimated two to four million women are battered—at least 170,000 of whom require hospitalization, emergency room attention, or a doctor’s care; and 132,000 women report that they have been the victims of rape or attempted rape. Moreover, asserts NOW, many incidents of rape or assault go unreported; in fact, it is estimated that the number of women raped each year is between two and six times the number who report being raped.

Although most people agree that violence against women is an important societal problem, some contend that the alarming statistics cited by feminist organizations misrepresent the issue. Columnist Mona Charen, for example, points out that women also contribute to the problem...