dishonor (to one’s reputation) n.: blot (or stain) on (one’s) escutcheon (idiom)

Women fleeing bondage to fathers, husbands, or male relatives are denied eligibility for asylum in the United States despite the moral abomination that their plights present. This stain on the nation’s escutcheon should be removed. Holding females in servitude is every bit as morally repugnant as are the outrages that qualify for asylum. (Watson, A Stain on Our Asylum Law? The Washington Times, 06/8/2003.)