Republicans, Rape, Life, and Control of Women

During last night’s Indiana Senate debate the Republican candidate, Richard Mourdock, did more than stick his foot in his mouth.

I believe life begins at conception. The only exception I have for to have an abortion is in the case of the life of the mother. I struggled with myself for a long time but I came to realize life is that gift from God, even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape. It is something that God intended to happen.

Mourdock joined a club made exclusively of Republicans but a club that seems to be growing as the November election nears. Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh made a reprehensible comment about exceptions for the life of the mother following his debate.

“There is no such exception. With modern technology and science, you can’t find one instance.”

Complete crap as this woman explains.

Of course who can forget Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin’s claim that a woman’s body can shut down their reproductive system during a “legitimate rape.” It all comes on the heals of legislation that tried to redefine rape as “forcible rape.” The bill received 216 Republican sponsors and 11 Democrats (including the one who Mourdock is running against).

These statements may seem to come from the fringe of the Republican Party. They may seem to come from people who hold close to a God that turns lemons into lemonade. They even come from ordained pastors and politicians like Mike Huckabee. He too claims that women should not be allowed to have an abortion in cases of rape or incest. He does not even like some types of contraception!

The Republican party is against abortion and the move to demonize it flies in the face of their so-called small government argument. These candidates want to create an aura of false information so it becomes more palatable to ban all abortion. If women cannot get pregnant because of rape or that medicine is so far advance that a pregnancy never jeopardizes a woman’s life… then why do we need the exceptions.

The misinformation will not set in overnight. It is a long game to move the country further and further to the right. Pushing an an anti-choice agenda is not truly about a fetus becoming a child. Nor about contraception intervening on God’s will for you to become pregnant. This is about control. Control over women and their bodies.

The Republican party is filling up with men, hiding behind their faith, that want to dictate women’s health decisions. These politicians threaten the freedom of half of American citizens.

Reflect on these words from Rachel Maddow:

“But think about the big picture here for a second. Between those two guys, between Akin and Ryan. Which one is worse? Saying you want to force a woman who has just conceived against her will to also give birth against her will by order of the government?

Or – telling yourself a fake science fairy tale so you can pretend those women don’t exist, and you would never want the kind of government that would do something so barbaric to a woman for nine months after the barbarism that was done to her in the incident of rape. Which is worse? The person with the fairy tale or the person without one? Because they both want the same policy either way. It’s just that in the newfangled Republican Mike Huckabee way of justifying it, they drop the fake science fairy tale. They don’t bother trying to make it seem less barbaric.”

Women, and the men who believe in equality for women, must give this some serious thought when they go to the polls.