21 - 22 of 22 Comments

1. Alex

   9 months ago

   I appreciate this article. I am glad the author, unlike many in the laity, understand the biological points that Akin was making. He had a point. His words may have mislead people to certain conclusions, but he was actually pretty accurate in truth. Pregnancy from rape indeed is rare. This fact strengthens the pro-life camp. I have an issue with this article in the following: "Rape is rape. The words legitimate or illegitimate serve only to promote the false idea that such an act of disrespect and violence against women is in some cases permissible or at least understandable. That is wrong. And rape survivors deserve better than to have their integrity further violated or their honesty called into question. There is no legitimate circumstance in which a man may rightly engage in an intimate act with a woman without her complete, conscious, informed and continuing consent." Tara, you don't understand. When a woman actually is raped, then yes, rape is rape. The issue here is that there are actually a lot of legal cases of rape that weren't rape. It does not take much for a man to be convicted of rape. Many innocent people are charged with rape. Many men are even raped. But none of that counts. All that counts is a woman's word in court. If she says she was raped, even if she wasn't, then somebody is going to be charged with and convicted of rape. Legitimate rape refers to those instances in which rape actually has occurred. This is not to separate "different types" of rape. As you said, rape is rape, and all rape is condemnable. But if no rape has occurred, then it is not legitimate rape, rather it is a lie perpetrated by a woman. His comments were not insensitive. I understand that you are a woman. You understandably have intense sympathies for women who actually were raped. It is an atrocity. But I do not believe this man's words were insensitive, rather I think America's sensitivities are grossly in the wrong place - as evident by our jumping all over this man without understanding the entirety of the issue. The truth should not offend Catholics.

2. GW

   9 months ago

   Tara, you don't wish to jump into the political fray, and yet you have done exactly that.
   
   I wasn't aware that a woman's body could be similarly impacted by the extended period of stress accompanying wedding planning AND the one-time, hideous experience of rape. I'm not qualified to comment on that.
   
   I have to repeat what I've said elsewhere on this web site: I'm pro-life; and yet my vote for Romney-Ryan will also be a vote for people like Todd Akin. People like Todd Akin will ban abortion under any circumstance(if I take them at their word), but they'll make no provision to take care of the larger numbers of poor children who will be the result. They'll eviscerate the social services that will be in such greater demand by those poor children. They'll cut funding for education (blaming the actions of "liberal academics.")
   
   On the other hand, they'll continue funding any military program that the Pentagon decides it wants.
   
   If things were different, and if I was a rabid left-winger who wanted to adopt right-wing logic, I might come to the conclusion that people like Todd Akin and Romney-Ryan want the additional poor people to staff their armies for the next wars. Since I find that kind of talk disgusting coming from either side, I'll pass up that opportunity.
   
   But Tara, that still leaves us with lots more people, most of them poor (since those women who are either wealthy or well-informed will still find ways to terminate unwanted pregnancies). And we will have scant means with which to take care of them.
   
   And one day, we will have to answer for that.
   
   
   

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