Congress

Rape Redefined and Brought to You by Members of the US House of Representatives

Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger

The new Republican majority in the House of Representatives is moving to make changes in abortion law. The new No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (H. R. 5939) has 173 co-sponsors—most of them Republicans. According to The House GOP’s Plan to Redefine Rape, an article in Mother Jones that was written by Nick Baumann, John Boehner (R-OH) considers the bill a top priority for the new Congress. The bill, reportedly, includes a provision that rewrites the definition of rape.

Federal laws that have restricted the use of government funds for abortions have contained exemptions for pregnancies that resulted from rape and incest and for pregnancies that could endanger the lives of women. Evidently, the new legislation proposes that the rape exemption be limited to “forcible rape.”

Laurie Levenson, an expert on criminal law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said that the authors of the bill used language that was unclear. She thinks that some women will probably lose protection if the bill becomes law. Evidently, the term “forcible rape” is not defined in the criminal code—and the authors of the new bill did not provide their own definition of the term. In addition, there is no legal definition of “forcible rape” in some states. This would make it unclear whether any abortions could be covered by the rape exemption in those states.

What are some types of rape that would no longer be covered by the rape exemption if this bill becomes law? The rapes of women with limited mental capacity and rapes in which women were drugged or given excessive amounts of alcohol.

Sources: Mother Jones

130 thoughts on “Rape Redefined and Brought to You by Members of the US House of Representatives”

  4. Elaine M.,

    Many thanks for the link!! Good DOG, I love Stephen Colbert! He has such a way with words, doesn’t he??

  9. Buckeye:

    “As far as I am concerned all rape is forcible whether through mental indimidation, drugging, or physical force. One of the biggest enablers are the false charges of rape, which make them so despicable, and in my estimation should be unlawful.

    Men (like these bozos) seem to think because a woman looks just the same she can’t have suffered so much and the child is more important than her mental and spiritual health.”

    I was thinking the same exact thing but felt that perhaps I was being simplistic and naive. I’m glad someone has voiced the same concerns as I have.

    John of Orange is telling me that women aren’t worthy of protection. That if we are raped, regardless of how, we are told to deal with it.

    If rape results in a pregnancy, we are told to deal with it.

    If we are abused, we are told to deal with it.

    If we are further victimized by the very system that is supposed to protect us, we are told to deal with it.

    If we don’t receive equal pay, we are told to deal with it.

    If we are denied employment advancement, we are told to deal with it.

    I can go on and on, but this is the gist.

    At this point in time, I shouldn’t have to deal with it – I am tired of being shoved to the side and told to deal with it. Particularly when those telling me to do so are seeking to define rights and laws based on their sorry-ass beliefs.

  11. Elaine,
    You are right that most religons look upon men as the superiors of men. The Catholic Church does want to produce lots of little Catholics, but only if they tow the line. They don’t want birth control because it would give Women the power to control their own lives and they may actually say no to the Church.
    There was an old joke that asked, “What do you call people who use the Rhythm method of Birth Control”? ………Parents.

  12. rafflaw,

    If we gals are just here to please men–why would the church frown upon birth control? The church wants women to produce lots of little Catholics. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!

    I think most religions look upon men as the superiors of women.

  13. Elaine,
    I tnink you are wrong. The Church looks upon women as objects that are here to please Man and nothing else. And the Catholics aren’t alone at that disparaging view of women. By the way, I think I will stick with my Turkey sandwiches instead of a Boener Congressional sandwich!

  15. Elaine,

    I would like to point out to both you and Matt that unlike some bread molds, there is no beneficial use for the Crybaby other than as cautionary example.

  16. Mike Spindell,

    “For me the tip-off on abortion has always been the concurrent opposition of the movement’s leaders to education on birth control and sexuality.”

    It’s also akin to the position of the Catholic church, which opposes the use of birth control methods/devices…yet also opposes abortion. I think many Catholic male clergy look upon women as child producers and little more.

  17. Culheath gets the underpinnings of this mentality right in a short, but densely worded post, that expands one’s thoughts.
    Yes, qas other have so well commented this is very much about the repression and denigration of women. Given all that, however, it is about how to use a contentious issue to gain political power to enforce the public’s thought processes. For me the tip-off on abortion has always been the concurrent opposition of the movement’s leaders to education on birth control and sexuality.

  18. What an utterly scathing article on J. Boehner……………just such a sad commentary

  19. Rape is a gender issue only because in most instances of physical rape men are either stronger or outnumber women. [and misogynists, like other pervs, make good rapists…] Boys get raped all the time. Men get raped all the time. Families get raped all the time. Businesses get raped all the time.

    rape
    1    /reɪp/ Show Spelled [reyp] Show IPA noun, verb, raped, rap·ing.
    –noun
    1.an act of sexual intercourse that is forced upon a person.
    2.the unlawful compelling of a person through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse.
    3.statutory rape.
    4.an act of plunder, violent seizure, or abuse; despoliation; violation: the rape of the countryside.
    5.Archaic . the act of seizing and carrying off by force.
    –verb (used with object)
    6.to force to have sexual intercourse.
    7.to plunder (a place); despoil.
    8.to seize, take, or carry off by force.
    –verb (used without object)
    9.to commit rape.
    ~online dictionary
    —————————–
    legal definition:
    http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/rape

    Helpful too would be the enlightenment of those in power to the FACT that rape is a CRIME OF POWER. It is usually committed when an imbalance of some form of power is present or perceived and acted upon by force , intimidation or trickery.

    A great impact would be obtained if the legal definition more closely approximated the real meaning of the word in general. The understanding of the nature of the crime would lead to a more rational and less exploitative enforcement of the laws designed to make rape aversive to those who use it as an acceptable method of projecting thier pervy power lust….

  20. Here we go again. Rape is defined by the states. These states righters should leave the definition of rape to the states. The republicans are always complaining about encroachment of the federal government, but now they are all behind a federal law that re-writes state common law defining rape. They play with the clear meaning of the Constitution’s reservation of states’ rights to suit their own purposes.

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