Characterizing a chained wife, an Agunah, as sexually promiscuous is both defamatory and abusive.
The claim is defamatory because it spreads a false and injurious statement about her moral and religious character within her community, where sexual fidelity and adherence to Halakha carry serious social consequences.
It is abusive because it weaponizes stigma to punish her for seeking freedom from coercive control.
An Agunah is barred from remarrying or pursuing new relationships specifically because she lacks a Gett.
Framing her desire for basic autonomy and the right to build a future as promiscuity minimizes the abuse and shifts blame onto the victim.
It uses shame as an additional lever of control, reinforcing the very entrapment that Gett withholding creates.
The core harm is the chaining itself, not the woman’s conduct.
To label her promiscuous for wanting to exit a marriage she cannot legally end distorts the power dynamic: The husband maintains unilateral control over her marital status, while the accusation punishes her for the consequences of that control.
Writing by Dr. Dannielle Blumenthal 