Orthodox Union   557. Why Would She Want That?: The obligation
for a rapist to marry his victim  If a man rapes a virgin
maiden, he must marry her (if she so desires). He also pays a
fine of fifty silver shekels, which goes to the girl’s father
because, in this scenario, the girl is a minor.  The reason for
this mitzvah is so that men should not treat women lightly. They
are not to be used, abused and thrown away. If he mistreats a
woman in such a vile fashion, he might find himself chained to
her for life, responsible for her food and clothing, unable to
divorce her, and saddled with a heavy fine besides. This should
hopefully make a potential rapist think twice before committing
such a reprehensible act.  Of course, in our society, we must
wonder why a woman would want to marry a man who did such a
thing to her. To understand this, we must recognize that not
every time and place is like ours. In many points in history –
and in some places even today – a woman who was not a virgin,
even through no fault of h