Todd Akin: Because you can't get pregnant without consent

I was going to avoid this topic with a ten foot pole as the media seems to be content with pounding the crap out of this man, but as Todd Akin announced he was staying in the race; he also announced that “his party overreacted a bit” and “it was just a word in the wrong place.”

The background; in a television interview Republican Congressman Todd Akin made the comment, “It seems to me, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare [impregnation of a woman from rape]. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down, ”after being asked what his thoughts on abortion under any circumstances, including rape.  He is obviously a master of the female reproductive system.

What could have meant? One thought could have been that he meant cases where a woman was raped; having had a man put his penis in her vagina and ejaculate without protection. The other being that in cases where a woman was raped in the above mentioned that if she were to get pregnant somehow an element of consent would be there.

Either way, Akin’s message clearly resonates; the female body will stop a pregnancy if she is raped. I think that’s an absolutely terrifying message to put for to women. We are human, we don’t come with a failsafe in case of rape. If your body has ovulated and you’re able to conceive and are raped, unless counter measures (Plan B) are taken, you can get pregnant, with consensual and non-consensual sex. Instead of accepting women’s bodies as being selective in the child-bearing process, why don’t we look at the fact that most women won’t go to a doctor or clinic for Plan B because they’re ashamed of their sexual assault? Why don’t we look into the fact that some women can’t afford Plan B after they have been sexually assaulted?

Akin stated that, “by taking this stand, this is going to strengthen our country. It will strengthen the Republican Party.”

This will strengthen the anti-feminist rape-culture that’s dominating our society both in Canada and the United States. By creating this “Failsafe” guarantee in women you’re insinuating that women have been created to be raped. Look, look, even if you do rape her, she’s not going to get pregnant, her body doesn’t allow that. Are you kidding me? Instead of focusing on the what a woman’s body can and can’t do, why don’t you focus on the fact that we’ve reared a culture that jumps to blame the victim before the rapist, before, during and after the rape.

We blame the woman/ for how he/she looks, what he/she was saying, her level of intoxication before the rape occurs. We blame the man/woman for not fighting hard enough, not saying no enough, not calling for help enough during the rape. We blame the male victims for being weak for calling it rape afterwards and we blame women for choosing abortion after they’ve been raped and have gotten pregnant. This is a culture that justifies the acts in all its stages, and chooses to elect asshats like this to back that thinking up.

**UPDATE
Will be posting a second post about rape culture, feminism and rape.

16 year old girl dies after she's refused cancer treatment as it may have ended her pregnancy, which is illegal.

This story disgusts me. Disgusts me in so many ways, I couldn’t believe it as I was reading it. Please note that this story does deal with abortion and contain my views on abortion. These are not views that everyone will agree with and support and that is fine. Because this is such a sensitive issue, please refrain from commenting bashing people’s choices; if you do, your comments will be removed. If you want to express your opinion please do it in a respectful way.

The story is, a 16 year old girl died as a result of complications of cancer because she was pregnant. She was denied chemotherapy because it could terminate her pregnancy which is illegal in the Dominican Republic, where she lives. So after 20 or so days after she was admitted she was finally allowed treatment, the girl was 13 weeks pregnant and died after having a miscarriage and going into cardiac arrest.

First off, I cannot believe that there is a law that allows medical doctors to refuse treatment as it may lead to a miscarriage, in the case of a minor, the parent is allowed to make decisions in regards to their child’s health. Second, I cannot believe that in this case the life of the child supersedes the life of the parent. It’s common practice that if the mother’s life is imminent danger, the life of the child will be helped to the full extent but they put mom first. In this case, two lives were lost because they refused to risk the life of the baby and thus refused to treat the mother.

Speaking from the Canadian perspective here, I am glad that Canada has a law protecting a woman’s right to choose. I’m so glad that if that little girl had lived in Canada and this happened to her, she would have been put first. I realize that losing a child is something that affects a person deeply, decided on or not, however you cannot force a 16 year old girl to die because it may abort this child.

I am pro-choice. I realize that’s my right to decide and I realize that it’s others decisions to be pro-life. I respect every person’s individual choice, when it comes down to it I would just like that same respect if I was ever in that position. I realize that some countries do not allow for abortions and as much as I don’t support that option I can respect their choice to instill that. To a point, not to the point where they are denying medical care to a mother who is in dire need of it because it may abort the child.

To me, the worst part about this is that not only was the baby lost, but immediately after this 16 year old girl died, and her mother is left alone. A parent only wants to protect their child and when your country does not allow you to make the choices to save your child and not only do they die but your grandchild dies? I cannot even imagine what her mother is thinking.

                I think it’s absolutely disgusting that a mother’s life is viewed as that inferior to her child that at 13 weeks, that child dictates whether or not the mother will receive treatment to save her life. This story absolutely broke my heart and there is absolutely no reason, in this day and age, that this needs to happen.

Story details taken from CNN story by Rafael Romo:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/18/world/americas/dominican-republic-abortion/index.html?hpt=hp_t1