Saturday, April 25, 2015

Tennessee Republican: Rape is often 'not verifiable,' so no exemption on anti-abortion bill


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/23/1379749/-Tennessee-Republican-Rape-is-often-not-verifiable-so-no-exemption-on-anti-abortion-bill?detail=email

Anti-abortion protesters outside Red River Women's Clinic in Fargo, N.D.

Republican state legislators across the country continue looking for ways to make it more difficult for women to exercise their right to choose abortion, and Tennessee is in the process of passing one of the classics: a waiting period. And a Tennessee Republican managed to make waiting periods even more insulting than they by definition are. Tennessee Democrats tried to amend the waiting period bill to exempt victims of rape and incest, but state Rep. Sheila Butt was not having it, because how do you know that a woman is telling the truth about her pregnancy being the result of rape or incest?
"This amendment appears political because we understand that in most instances this is not verifiable," Butt said. "Let’s make sure that these women have the information and understanding to act. Madam Speaker, I move this amendment to the table."
In short, let's just assume that women are lying about rape and move on.
Butt's claim that this was about "mak[ing] sure that these women have the information and understanding to act" also doubled down on the insult of the waiting period. Waiting periods mean that it's not enough to scrape together money that may be hard to come by and travel what may be hours to the nearest clinic that's managed to stay open despite harassment of doctors and laws targeting it. 
No, you need to do that, then wait 48 hours or more, then go back for a legal medical procedure. It's a burden of time and money and it's based on the claim that women don't know what they're doing when they decide not to continue a pregnancy, schedule a medical appointment, and do whatever money-saving and traveling it requires. Just the kind of thing you do on a whim, according to Republicans. Who doesn't love a medical procedure every so often, particularly one likely to bring you face to face with screaming protesters?
i reiterate republicans support rape every rule the impose is not in favor of the victim it's to prolong the agony of their attack TEXAS gives their rapist not jail time but visitation rights if a baby is produced from their assault how screwed up is that????  and they vehemently deny they are engaged in a war against women not caring for them prenatal or post natal but the idea of a fetus being without rights well that's a whole other pile of elephant dung.  imagine your president and their party caring more about your violent life altering rapist than you,  then imagine you didn't vote for them and they are jailed and never get to see you or the baby because you voted for a president that could never conceive of thinking that way.