Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Assault . . .

If you saw this girl on the street, what would you think? If you're a dude reading this, you'd probably walk into a light pole. If you're a chick, you might think "bitch." Or feel really fat.

But, would you think she deserves to be raped? I certainly hope not. What if you found out she was dressed like this when she was raped? Would a tiny part of you think, "Well, sure." Now, what if she found out she was pregnant? Would you support forcing her to keep the baby of her rapist? If the rapist was her father? If having the baby would kill her?

These questions would seem like easy ones to answer, at least, they would be for me. I would think they'd be easy for anyone to answer, but as I'm finding out, I'd be dead wrong. There is an assault on women going on right now, and we are being raped of our rights in more and more legislatures across the country . . . and most of us aren't paying any attention at all.

Take some comments made earlier this month in the Kansas state legislature. Rep DeGraaf was debating banning insurance companies from covering abortions (he was firmly in support of the ban), and when a female Rep wanted the bill to allow abortion in the case of rape or incest, DeGraaf suggested that such a measure was unnecessary. That women should plan ahead for being raped, and compared it to his carrying a life insurance policy, or having a spare tire for his car. As though rape is as inevitable as death, or women should expect rape like they would expect to one day get a flat tire.

Idaho recently passed anti-abortion legislation, stating that "the hand of the Almighty" was behind rape and incest, and that women who conceive under such violent circumstances should look on it as a chance to "see His mysterious ways at work".

An Indiana state Rep claimed that women will lie to get an abortion if we allow them for victims of rape or incest.

And, of course, the House recently voted to defund Planned Parenthood, with Rep John Kyl erroneously declaring that 90% of their services go for providing abortions, and that federally funding Planned Parenthood would be federally funding abortion. Later, it was shown, according to actual, you know, facts, that only 4% of Planned Parenthood's services go towards providing abortions. Rep Kyl's people quickly said that his statements were not meant to be factual. Imagine someone in our government bothering with actual facts.

Add to all this the recent stories about the controversy in France over the IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn's alleged rape of a hotel maid. Instead of outrage over the act, the French media swung the other way, defending Strauss-Kahn and demonizing the victim. And, an Australian school recently sent a letter home to parents warning that the way their girls dress encourages pedophiles.

Women reading this: Are we heading for the days when rape will again be considered our fault? When we will have to pay the price for someone else's crimes with our bodies and our minds? Or, did we ever really get past those days? Maybe you think you'll never have to worry about these questions personally, and I hope you don't. But, I can almost guarantee that you you know someone who will be affected by these questions, and we should all care about the answers.

Men reading this: Do you look at the picture above and still think she deserves it? Even a little bit? If you do, it seems like you agree with quite a few lawmakers. If you don't, for God's sake, do something about it.


3 comments:

TMCPhoto said...

and it's not just happening in the US. up here in Canada a police officer made a remark (and this is not a direct quote) that if women didn't dress like sluts they wouldn't get raped. There have been a few "slut walks" organized in response.

That there is even a danger that a woman's right to feel safe from assault based on her appearance angers me.

Ginger said...

TMC,

I completely forgot about that! There have been slut walks here too. I guess there's (sadly) too much info to include in such a post . . . .

Dregae said...

I know this is alittle late, this is an old post now, but it has been on my mind ever since I read it. First it is ALWAYS the guy's fault with rape, but...... oh boy here goes nothing (getting ready to duck) Why does the woman want to attract that kind of attention. Sure she may be beautiful, but what is she saying by stripping of her clothes. Isn't this going against everything we (i mean women) have worked so hard for the last century to be taken seriously for our minds and hearts rather than our bodies. What kind of man do you hope to attract that way, one that will appreciate YOU, or one that is trying to sample the goods? There shouldn't be anything wrong with being modest perhaps if more women were, men would have more respect for us. If I see a woman in a store dressed modestly the first thing that goes through my mind without even knowing her is "she's a lady" and that's what I want to be and what I want others to think of me, not "what a nice piece of a**".

grace e