That being said, ignoring the problem doesn’t make it go away.
Aside from learning effective physical counter-measures, a vital aspect of responsible self defence training must include mental preparedness and an ethical perspective.
It is up to the instructor to provide an ethical framework for the practitioner to use as a launch-pad for developing their own set of values to use when faced with violence. Even if the eventual position of the practitioner is ‘anything goes’ the instructor has not been the one to make that decision.
The ethical exercise for the practitioner is not for altruistic reasons alone.
The idea is that the defender has thought deeply about the types of possible confrontation, motivations of the attacker(s) and consequences of the various responses (physical injury or death to themselves or to others, property damage, psychological repercussions and involvement of the authorities).
This way, the practitioner can have made a rational and ethical decision ahead of time as to the appropriate response for the scenario in which they find themselves. This eliminates a snap decision in the heat of the moment while under physical attack and psychological pressure which may have life-long consequences.
What is the situation? How serious is it? What am I prepared to do? What am I absolutely NOT prepared to do?