Beth: Escaping Abuse
Beth: Escaping Abuse
“If I didn’t leave he would have killed me. Or I would have killed him. [At one point], this thought came to my head: feed him rat poison. And when that came into my thoughts, that’s when I realized I needed to get down on my knees and pray. I wasn’t going to let him kill me. I was going to kill him first.” — Beth
This episode tells the story of Beth from the Caribbean, who experienced abuse at the hands of her husband. She escaped and built a life for herself in the United States, ultimately becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Sarah Bonilla joins Caroline in a discussion about Latter-day Saint discourse on family and gender roles, navigating abusive marriages, and forgiveness and boundaries. Sarah is a licensed marriage and family therapist who has worked with several Latina Latter-day Saints.
Our thanks to Ramona Morris for reading excerpts from Beth’s oral history.
Sarah Bonilla
Share