TV Reviews : Abused Women on the ‘Edge’ Fight Back

As a society, we still make jokes about spousal abuse and rape; an unresponsive judicial system reflects our ambivalence toward those issues. “Pushed to the Edge,” a compelling, unexploitative edition of ABC’s “20/20” (at 10 tonight on Channels 7, 3, 10 and 42), focuses on several women who have been victimized by partners.

The program spotlights rape victims who are taking action to find their attacker, or who are speaking out publicly to educate men and women about the crime: Rape is not sexy, not a joke. It’s an act of violent aggression that can happen to any woman, anywhere.

This eloquent, often brutally frank telling of victimization by abusive men and an abusive judicial system is a powerful call for activism. The program notes the legislation proposed by Sen. Joseph Biden Jr. (D-Del.) making rape a federal crime and alloting money for domestic violence education and safety. But it hasn’t been enacted yet.