I generally agree with Saint E here (surprisingly enough) with most everything he has said. For any Saints involved, we should always remember Mosiah 4:19 in regards to situations like this.
I believe that often (but not always - there's always the "sins of the parents", or people who suffer for their parents choices) people do get themselves into these poor situations with their poor choices. However, just because they have brought this upon themselves does not mean we should not have compassion on them and endeavor to help them improve their conditions.
In regards to the initial content of the thread, I'd like to put forth that many Medieval and ancient European Societies did not share Aquinas' views of women, particularly among Germanic and Celtic peoples - among the Vikings, for example, women had a great deal of influence. They didn't vote in the things, but the woman was in charge of managing the home estate (including finances), and could divorce her husband over almost anything (one recorded instance was for the wearing of effeminate clothing).
