Legitimate Rape - is there such a thing?

They are NOT the people we are putting in charge of our reproductive issues. They are the people trying to take away women's rights by trying to redefine rape, close planned parenthood, take away abortion rights, take away birth control, and force their extremist and/or religious views on women. Ryan, Romney's VP pick, was right with this Akin guy on bills trying to give a fertilized egg "personhood" status. I'm glad he committed political suicide - I'm hoping it will make some people realize what is going on with women's reproductive rights.

All I can say is Wow.  Is he for real?  Whether or not you are pro life or pro choice, in my opinion, if you don't have a uterous, you don't have a say.   And I am prepared to get attacked for this comment.

Wow.....what a moron. 

This man needs to go back to high school and take a basic biology class.

This guy is from another planet.

But honestly, it figures that not only is that remark from a man, but also from a politician.

I heard what he said, and in giving him the benefit of the doubt, I think he was referring to how some women will experience muscle constriction to the point where insertion becomes extremely difficult. However, even if that was his intent, this thing is so blown out of proportion, there is no way he could ever explain or apologize enough. And, of course, his original point "prosecute the rapist, don't take it out on the baby" was completely lost. He was a guy who was stridently anti-abortion and I think a lot of people are going to take exception to anything he says.

In response to this news story, many anti-abortion organizations have re-released articles on studies that show that pregnancies resulting from traumatic rape are very rare. The theory is that the trauma of rape can cause hormone fluctuations that make implantation and maintenance of a pregnancy difficult. The response to this is that these studies are very well documented.

In terms of "legitimate rape", Akins was trying to differentiate between traumatic rape by a stranger versus acquaintance rape (date rape) or statutory rape (which is illegal but might be between consensual partners). A lot of people jumped to the conclusion that he thought that there were a lot of false accusations of rape.

But all this is a paper tiger. Is abortion after a rape any more justified that any other abortion? (Which is Akin's stance.) Is a woman any less in control of her reproduction decisions just because she was raped or not raped? The whole "except in cases of rape" clause is an imperfect compromise. I think it just leads more woman seeking an abortion to claim they have been raped which helps no one. Should a woman ever have to justify to a third party why she made such a difficult decision?

I've read several articles on this matter in the last day and it seems about 31,000 women/year get pregnant via rape. The idea that many of the GOP are anti-abortion EVEN in the event of rape of incest is simply to imply how extreme they are. Very few people are that extreme - most people who are anti-abortion are fine w/ exemptions for rape, incest, or if the woman's life is at risk due to some medical complication. By the same token, people who are pro-choice, like me, are not pro-choice for any situation. I personally would not support legalizing abortion for, say gender selection. I also do not believe in abortion up to birth - generally first trimester. What people refer to as late-term or partial-birth abortion is exceedingly rare & generally due to a medical issue that has come up & the fetus is no longer viable. I'm fine with that.

However, I do not believe ANY woman should have her choice to abort questioned. I'm fine with counseling at the Planned Parenthood center, questions to ask if she is being coerced, for example. But other than that, she should not have to reveal she was raped, or that there was incest, or whatever. It is her right. It is legal. And it should stay that way. If you don't want an abortion - don't get one. If you don't want your kid to have one, do what you need to to avoid that situation & try to instill your values in them. Otherwise, shut up and let women who want/need abortions have them. Because we don't need more unwanted, unloved children being raised by uncaring parents anyway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diane 

if you don't have a uterous, you don't have a say.   

 

I agree 100%.