You know what I don't understand? I don't understand why a Kansas lawmaker has suggested that women should "plan ahead" to buy insurance in case they are raped since he carries a spare tire in his car. (Thanks to my old friend, Mira, for the tip.) What is that, dear reader? You don't understand it either. Read on for the whole despicable story.
http://www.mcphersonsentinel.com/newsnow/x1058165813/Kansas-backs-bill-restricting-abortion-coverage
First, a Doug Disclaimer.................. I am a pro-choice American. I avoid the subject of reproductive rights on this blog and in my day to day activities due to having been harassed, insulted, and threatened on a regular basis by the pro-birth faction. The pro-birth faction are those who immediately lose interest in the child the moment it exits the birth canal as opposed to folks who really are pro-life and want to ensure that all children receive quality care, a decent education, and an opportunity to succeed in life.
That being established, the remarks by Rep Pete. DeGraaf, a Mulvanve Republican, cannot be ignored. The lowlights, per the attached article, are as follows:
Rep. Barbara Bollier, a Mission Hills Republican who supports abortion rights, questioned whether women would buy abortion-only policies long before they have crisis or unwanted pregnancies or are rape victims.
During the House's debate, Rep. Pete DeGraaf, a Mulvane Republican who supports the bill, told her: "We do need to plan ahead, don't we, in life?"
Bollier asked him, "And so women need to plan ahead for issues that they have no control over with a pregnancy?"
DeGraaf drew groans of protest from some House members when he responded, "I have spare tire on my car."
"I also have life insurance," he added. "I have a lot of things that I plan ahead for."
Let's make sure we all understand this. This gentleman (and I use the term very loosely) is comparing life insurance, which we are all guaranteed to use, with an abortion rider that he feels women should purchase to "plan ahead" in case they become impregnated via rape. Let me say that again. A Republican said that a woman should "plan ahead" and purchase insurance in case she is raped. One more time. She should have a plan in place in case she is raped. As if their constant chiseling away at a woman's right to choose what she does with her own body isn't objectionable enough, as if their wanting to make a woman's uterus state property weren't unconscionable enough, now they want woman to "plan ahead" in case they are raped. It is just like life insurance or a spare tire in their eyes.
Seriously????
It's a great year for women so far. First we have the person in Canada who suggests that women can avoid being raped by not "dressing like sluts". Now they have insurance in case they get raped. Well, why not? One in five women will be sexually assaulted, after all. I guess it is their fault for just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I would like to think that this is only happening in the backwoods of Kansas, but right here in my home state of Indiana, our state government just approved slashing federal funding for Planned Parenthood; all the while ignoring the rock solid fact that Planned Parenthood does not use federal funds to provide abortions. The result? Poor women are denied birth control and reproductive health care. Fantastic.
Who says there is no war on reproductive rights? Who says women aren’t being treated as second class citizens? It is happening right in our own backyards, folks; and where this continual encroachment onto individual’s rights will end is anyone's guess. Personally, I find it utterly chilling.
Peace and love, my brothers and sisters.
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