In defense of paternalism:

Excerpt from this evening's conversation with my dear friend:

"Well of course she should call the police. Calling the police is the most compassionate thing she could do in that moment, because you know what it would do to him if he hurt her. Right?"

She knows.

None of us are as cohesive as we pretend. Refusing to collude with another's self-betrayal in a moment of extremis is an act of compassion.