Adding Insult to Injury – The Hypocrisy of the House Leadership About Abortion and Rape

As our regular readers know, earlier this week the House Judiciary Committee voted against adding an exception for rape and incest to the 20 week ban bill. At the hearing, Rep. Trent Franks said that the likelihood of a woman becoming pregnant due to a rape was low. The public was outraged and a maelstrom broke out on the internet and in the press.

Today, in an attempted bit of sleight of hand, the House Leadership added an exception to the bill for reported rapes and incest with a minor. There is SO MUCH wrong with this, so here are my top 10:

1. They seem to believe that women are illiterate. This new language is insulting. If they think they can dress up this piece of garbage and we’ll believe it is a Chanel suit, they have another think coming.  
2. They don’t understand the reality of what happens to women who are raped. According to the Department of Justice, only 35 percent of sexual assaults are reported. That means the vast majority of women – out of fear, or trauma or a desire for privacy – do not report rapes to the legal authorities. 
3. A reporting requirement also suggests that women lie about rape. Really? What can we expect from men who think rape doesn’t cause pregnancy. They don’t get the facts.
4. The bill doesn’t acknowledge that women over 18 can be victims of incest.
5. The bill still has no exception for women’s health. 
6. This bill still has no exception for women with wanted pregnancies but find out that there is a serious fetal anamoly.
7. The bill still has no exception for women whose lives are endangered by their mental health. Do they not understand that suicides happen?
8. This bill still criminalizes doctors who meet their professional responsibilities by giving needed care to patients.
9. This bill still violates the Constitution.
10. This bill still takes a fundamental personal decision out of the hands of women.

Please let your Representative know to oppose this dangerous and extreme bill today.