The House GOP's Plan to Redefine Rape

[Donnachaidh]

http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/01/republican-plan-redefine-rape-abortion

Drugged, raped, and pregnant? Too bad. Republicans are pushing to limit rape and incest cases eligible for government abortion funding.

Rape is only really rape if it involves force. So says the new House Republican majority as it now moves to change abortion law.

For years, federal laws restricting the use of government funds to pay for abortions have included exemptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. (Another exemption covers pregnancies that could endanger the life of the woman.) But the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act," a bill with 173 mostly Republican co-sponsors that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has dubbed a top priority in the new Congress, contains a provision that would rewrite the rules to limit drastically the definition of rape and incest in these cases.

With this legislation, which was introduced last week by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Republicans propose that the rape exemption be limited to "forcible rape." This would rule out federal assistance for abortions in many rape cases, including instances of statutory rape, many of which are non-forcible. For example: If a 13-year-old girl is impregnated by a 24-year-old adult, she would no longer qualify to have Medicaid pay for an abortion. (Smith's spokesman did not respond to a call and an email requesting comment.)

More at the link --

[MattBaggins]

1. Republicans... The party of values

[CurtEastPoint]

2. They have such childish, selfish priorities. n/t

[white_wolf]

3. This seems like it could be a slip as slick as ice.

If your going to redefine rape to only mean "sex by force" in the case of abortion funding, then couldn't it be argued that that is the only kind of rape that is actually rape in the criminal sense? In my opinion you can't have such double standards in laws either its rape in all cases or its not. If its not rape in the case of abortion then it isn't rape in the case of criminal laws. So therefore that would get rid of statutory rape laws. Maybe I'm just reading too much into this but it certainly seems a slippery slope to me.

[DirkGently]

4. Anyone out there still question whether Republican "values" = woman-hating?

[Exultant Democracy]

5. Maybe they don't hate women, perhaps they just love rape?

[blondeatlast]

12. Is there a difference? nt

[Exultant Democracy]

16. Not much, but the term pro-rape has more neuro linguistic push.

[white_wolf]

6. I do!

Republican values do not = woman-hating. They =people-hating. They hate all people who are not like them regardless of sex,creed,race, or economic income. They are equal opportunity haters.

[DirkGently]

9. Fair enough, but women seem a favorite target. Minimizing rape, denying abortion, birth control.

[WhiteTara]

10. with a special emphasis on woman hatred

they may hate gays, blacks, browns, but they hate women the most.
The worst a woman can do is laugh at a man. The worst a man can do is rape and kill a woman.

[BadgerKid]

7. Hating the victim

is what I was originally going post.

[seabeyond]

8. so little girls, girls, women must ESCALATE the situation to appease repugs. shit kicked out

of them to "prove" they were raped.

[RC]

11. I think that's the idea.

Next step is to prove all the cuts, bruises and ripped clothes were directly caused by the loving republican suitor.

[truebrit71]

13. Why ANY woman would vote for these hateful bastards is beyond me...

...makes as much sense as a chicken voting for Col Sanders..

[Lars39]

14. Somebody needs to look into Smith's background and see how many women

he's gotten drugged and/or gotten drunk and raped.

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. I guess this sort of thing is common in their households.

[opihimoimoi]

17. There they go again...band aid answers...never the cure...

[BladesOfAiur]

18. I HATE REPUKES!!

Let me say it again, I HATE THESE ASSHOLES!!

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Urban Prairie]

19. I wish that I could reply that I am shocked by this POS legislation being introduced

by the Rethugs.

But it is quite obvious, that everything outside of the war on terror, homeland defense, and the military, is fair game for their cruel, sociopathic, and frequently sadistic approaches, to what were often considered non-issues to begin with, yet they still create controversial if not completely outrageous "solutions" for them anyway.