So the post got one comment. From someone who goes by "LG" -- an episodic commenter on this blog whose comments are often so polemic that they end up in the little blogger trash can. But it's been a tough week. And my last gay nerve was gotten upon. And so I decided to post her comment. And then I decided to respond to her comment. And THEN I decided to elevate the whole enchilada from a comment thread to a blog post.
So here you go: [a] what it takes to get on my last gay nerve ... LG's comment:
He said, that the child is a blessing from God. (not the rape-- obviously.)Rape (of men or women) is a horrible crime of violence, punishable by many years in prison.... and [b] what it looks like when it happens! (my response)
Of Women who are rape victims, less than 2-3% become pregnant. Of those that become pregnant by a Rapist, 15-25% choose to abort the baby. However, in the general population of women, unplanned pregnancies are aborted at 50+%.
I wonder why this is? Do you think its because, they don't want a 2nd act of violence against their own body? The vast majority of rape victims choose to raise their own child. Of the women that do abort the rapist's child, a percentage of them, regret their decision
LG ... as you have no doubt noticed I delete more of your comments than I post up.
I am making an exception today in the hopes of using your unrepentant ignorance as a teachable moment. I will use very short words in very clear sentences. Please try to follow along:
Richard Mourdock said a pregnancy resulting from a rape was "what God intended."
Not only does Mr. Mourdock presume to know the mind of God -- he will presume to use the power of his office -- if elected -- to inflict his understanding of what God intends on a woman pregnant as the result of a rape by taking away her right to choose whether to continue or to end the pregnancy.
I have neither the time nor the inclination to research your statistics because they are utterly irrelevant to the case in point.
Whatever percentage of women choose to do what -- and for whatever reason -- when faced with a pregnancy resulting from rape IT IS THEIR CHOICE.
Let me repeat that part.
Listen carefully:
IT. IS. THEIR. CHOICE.
Not yours
Not Mr. Mourdock's
Not Congress
Not the White House.
The woman
Who was raped
And is pregnant.
It is HER choice.
You can have any opinion on that choice you choose to have just as you can have any opinion on what God intends about just about everything.
What you cannot have is permission to write your opinion -- your theology -- into our Constitution.
And neither can Mr. Mourdock.
And THAT ... my unrepentantly ignorant friend ... is precisely the point which you persistently insist on remaining ignorant about.
ig•no•rant/ˈignərənt/
Adjective: Lacking knowledge or awareness
Here endeth the response to your comment. Time to move along.
13 comments:
Have a nice glass of wine, and pat your dogs, and hear a whisper from Louise in the wind as it picks up tonight, telling you "well done". Hugs to you, again!
You stayed on message.
I've been thinking a lot about this whole Richard Mourdock thing, because (a) I'm originally from Indiana and one or both of my parents could very well vote for this guy, and (b) because my ex-wife's sister once got pregnant from a rape and chose to keep her baby. She has a 22-year-old son now that she loves very much - but as you say, keeping him was her choice.
Bringing a child into the world under normal circumstances is a big enough commitment already. Doing it with the emotional trauma of surviving rape piled on top makes it even harder. Anybody who takes it on must do it of their own free will, or it's not going to work. Government should never be allowed to force that on anyone.
Pregnancy for some women, about 1 in 3 according to my doctor, is a very difficult 9 months. Although I carried two children who were the result of a loving relationship, I had a very difficult time with each one. I can't imagine going through what I did if the pregnancy had been the result of rape.
Thank you - I needed that.
Brava, Susan. Brava!
Susan:
you know what really...........pisses me off? is that these men even presume to inflict their ignorance... ahem, i mean opinions of a victim of rape. the original assault wasn't enough?
and as to his pie-in-the-sky statistics about rape victims, proceeding to delivery and raising the child, did he ever consider that poverty and the shame of being violated by a family member or family friend might influence there decision?
watching asshats like this opinionate is only another reason i give heartfelt thanks for being born gay. i, like you, ask questions first and listen to the answers: part of the gift of being one of God's LGBT blessed.
Note to LG: Like I said ... time to move on. This is not the place to play the "I have sole possession of the Absolute Biblical Truth so the facts don't matter" game. You might try getting your own blog. Easy to set up and free.
Thank you.
Here are the statistics.
Statistics are not always consistent and vary from one site to another and from year to year. Some sites say 1% and others say 2%, which in numbers is 13,000 (specifically stated on one site) to 24,000 per year.
Here is another important one.
31 states give the rapist/father parental Rights to a child born of rape. So the women even if she chooses to raise her 'gift from God'(I can't even believe that in this day and age that is even being said!, she has to have contact with her rapist and share that wonderful experience for 18 years of more.
I am sick to death of discussing this. This issue should be over. It is nothing more then oppression to force a women to endure a pregnancy she does not want especially from a rape.
Keep your religious believe out of my government.
I am a former Catholic. I am am also a woman who has lost a child.
And I'd also like to hear from the republicans how they will pay for all those babies and children that will be put up for adoption from all the unwanted pregnancies.
Especially since they don't want to pay for the ones being born now.
Well said, Susan!
{{{Susan}}}
PLEASE send LG on her way, Susan. All her wingnut fundamentalism does around here is persuade more people into atheism! O_o
Brava. Before Roe v Wade was decided the issue was left up to the states. A few states (not many) legalized abortion on demand. What is less well known is that before roe v Wade many states even if they did not permit abortion generally allowed abortion in cases of rape, incest, health of the mother, fetal deformity, etc, (including many conservative states like MS). So what we are dealing with here is not only an attempt to turn the clock back before roe, but to go back even further, even more whacko than what Mississippi permitted by law prior to 1973. That is how fanatical these folks are. Mississippi in the 1960's was too liberal.
You know, you should let yourself be visibly annoyed more often. :-) I love you to pieces but you are sometimes too darn nice. Well said indeed!
FWIW
jimB
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