the-gop-is-terrible:

Virginia Ultrasound Bill is State-Sponsored Rape

Sensationalist title? No, not really. Here’s the relevant article: http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/02/virginia_ultrasound_law_women_who_want_an_abortion_will_be_forcibly_penetrated_for_no_medical_reason.html

The GOP managed to get this one through while claiming that this was to help the potential mother have “all the information” prior to her having her pregnancy terminated. For her decision to have her pregnancy terminated, a woman will be forced (there is no opt-out, period) to have a penetrative transvaginal ultrasound.

It’s nice that the government is really stepping it up and deciding exactly what people MUST know - it’s really not evocative of thought-police at all. It’s also somewhat moot, because statistics say that showing women who are considering abortion ultrasound pictures of their baby doesn’t deter them from having an abortion - but what it does do is cause untold mental anguish! Remember, it’s important to punish the women if you can’t stop them!

It’s also nice to know that the government’s just gotten completely out of the way of figuratively screwing over the US population, and has decided via mandate to take a more active role in the process.

Obviously this law is going to get contested, because it’s grossly unconstitutional and in all likelihood violates portions of Roe vs Wade, but the point is that this bill passed - right here in the United States.

Maybe you don’t think this is actually rape - after all, it’s a medical procedure, right?

During the floor debate on Tuesday, Del. C. Todd Gilbert announced that “in the vast majority of these cases, these [abortions] are matters of lifestyle convenience.” (He has since apologized.) Virginia Democrat Del. David Englin, who opposes the bill, has said Gilbert’s statement “is in line with previous Republican comments on the issue,” recalling one conversation with a GOP lawmaker who told him that women had already made the decision to be “vaginally penetrated when they got pregnant.” (I confirmed with Englin that this quote was accurate.)*

The GOP thinks that because you had vaginal penetration to initiate the pregnancy, you should just roll over and accept this. Color me crazy, but that’s eerily similar to the argument that marital rape doesn’t exist.

Here’s a hint: it does.

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person’s consent. A person who commits an act of rape is known as a rapist. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent.

Hm.

• Coercion - “You can’t have this abortion unless we penetrate you.”
• Abuse of authority - “You can’t have this abortion unless we (your government) penetrate you.”
• Incapable of valid consent - “You don’t have any choice but to be penetrated.”

Gonna go with rape on this one.

Regardless of if you believe abortion to be morally wrong or not - which isn’t a debate I’m going to engage in - you have no right to do this to a woman. Period. No, this isn’t a “fair compromise”, any different than “have sex with me or I’ll kill you” is a fair compromise.

This is rape. Plain and simple, state sponsored rape.