Rape, Politics and Power
OK, let’s just all align our chakras as we sit down for today’s session. The absurdity of some of the things I’ll mention here may make you want to smash things, overturn desks, punch people – but try to hold it down. I don’t have bail money for all of us. Today, we shall discuss men in power and their attitudes to rape. Deep breaths people – this one’s gonna be a doozy.
Last week, The Jaded NYer tweeted something that caught my eye. It was a link to a news story about a Senator in Kansas, Rep. Pete Degraaf. Kansas legislature recently approved a ban on insurance companies offering abortion coverage as part of their general health plans, the only exception being when a woman’s health is at risk. Degraaf, lovely sounding fellow that he is, also called for a ban on coverage for abortions of rape pregnancies.
A debate ensued when it was pointed out that such a move is pretty ridiculously cold-blooded treatment of women who’ve recently suffered the trauma of rape. Degraaf’s argument was that ‘we need to plan ahead in life.’ It was explained that it’s a little hard to plan ahead for issues they have no control over, to which Degraaf replied with the following little nugget: ‘I have a spare tire in my car. I also have life insurance. I have a lot of things I plan ahead for.’
So, there you have it ladies, having health insurance coverage in case you might need an abortion because you become pregnant as a result of rape is just like having a spare tire in your car. See, rape is an eventuality for us ladies, we may as well accept it and be well prepared. You know, like when you get a flat tire, you just use a spare and fix it.
*takes a time out to go punch a wall*
But it’s not just in America. There’s the police officer in Toronto who advised university students that if girls didn’t want to get raped, they shouldn’t dress like ‘sluts’. And of course, here in England, we have our very own Justice Secretary Ken Clarke, who, a few weeks ago made a distinction between ‘serious rape’ and you know, the other ones, that just aren’t, you know, that serious, like statutory rape or date rape. It should be pointed out too that Mr Clarke, a man responsible for law making in this country, actually didn’t know the difference between statutory rape and date rape, but it makes my head hurt too much when I think about that so I’ll just move on.
These are men in power. They make decisions every day that impact us as women, what we can do with our bodies, how we should be treated and what happens to our attackers (Mr Clarke proposed that rapists who plead guilty should be rewarded by their sentences being halved – again, no words). And yet, look at their attitudes. These incidents show that these men have a complete lack of understanding of the issue. They are clueless, uncaring and utterly disrespectful. Despite their comments, they still have jobs, they still hold their power, they are still in decision making, powerful, political roles which affect us.
So what’s the answer? More women in power to protects our interests? Should men who make these sorts of comments, which clearly indicate a total lack of understanding of women, humanity, rape and really anything above scraping their knuckles along the ground be instantly fired when they make these sorts of comments?
Maybe all we can do is make our voices heard somehow. So, check out how you can let Rep. Senator Pete Degraaf know what you think of his comments. Read more about the Slut Walk movement that kicked off after that Toronto police officer’s comments and if you’re in London on June 11th, there is a Slut Walk happening, should you wish to attend. We’ve gotta stand up and be counted somehow, right?
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Tags: Ken Clarke, laws, Pete Degraaf, rape, Slut Walk
Just rage. Well, nothing to say that others haven’t already said really. Seems like we need to give the men a wake up call!
