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Thursday, July 31, 2003
Mail-order brides deserve protection
The Seattle-area deaths of two mail-order brides ought to lead to changes in federal law that could make thousands of women safer.
Sen. Maria Cantwell and Rep. Rick Larsen have introduced a bill to create common-sense regulations protecting the women. The International Marriage Broker Regulation Act would reduce the chances of other women falling victim to violent, abusive husbands like the men who killed Susana Blackwell and Anastasia Soloveva King.
The Washington Democrats' proposal requires that prospective brides receive information about the men's criminal records, any court protective orders and legal rights in the United States. The companies and federal officials would have responsibilities. State law, enacted after the local deaths, imposes similar demands.
King grew up in Russia, Blackwell in the Philippines. That's a common pattern for the brides, who are often lured by economic opportunities and the belief that American men will treat them well.
But at least some of the American clients of international matchmaking services are men looking to dominate a woman. Some services even advertise women who will attend to a household rather than a career.
An Illinois Republican, Rep. Mark Kirk, joined Larsen and Bainbridge Island Democrat Jay Inslee in sponsoring the House measure. That should provide a model for the kind of bipartisan consideration the proposal deserves. Anyone coming to this country to start a new marriage deserves a decent chance.
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