"Ryan's position is that all pregnant rape survivors should be treated the same - the government should force them to carry their rapist's baby to term."
Ryan thinks government should force all pregnant rape survivors to carry rapist's baby to term. (photo: Getty Images)
Ryan: Rape Survivors Must Have Rapist's Baby
24 August 12
his morning, Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) revealed that GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan urged him to drop out of his U.S. Senate race after Akin's "legitimate rape" comments made him a liability to Republicans nationally. Yet Ryan's attempt to stick a knife into the increasingly toxic senate candidate cannot be squared with Ryan's long record of working with Akin to curtail reproductive freedom and redefine rape. Ryan and Akin cosponsored a "personhood" bill that would not only prohibit rape survivors from seeking an abortion, but would likely treat terminating a pregnancy that results from rape as a homicide crime. Similarly, Ryan and Akin partnered on a bill seeking to prevent Medicaid recipients who are raped from obtaining an abortion unless they are victims of "forcible rape."
Nor is this a new position for Paul Ryan. The man Mitt Romney wants to be a heartbeat away from the presidency claimed that abortion should be illegal except for "cases in which a doctor deems an abortion necessary to save the mother's life" as far back as his first House campaign in 1998. Throughout his career Ryan's view has been consistent and unambiguous - rape survivors are out of luck.
In an interview with a local Pittsburgh television station yesterday, Ryan was given the opportunity to revise his position now that he is half of the Republican Party's national ticket. He refused:
QUESTION: Should abortions to be available to women who are raped?
RYAN: Well, look, I'm proud of my pro-life record. And I stand by my pro-life record in Congress. It's something I'm proud of. But Mitt Romney is the top of the ticket and Mitt Romney will be president and he will set the policy of the Romney administration.
Once again, Ryan's "pro-life record in Congress" includes seeking to ban abortions in the case of rape.
Ryan did appear to distance himself from his "forcible rape" bill. Echoing President Obama, Ryan flip-flopped from his previous attempt to treat "forcible rape" survivors differently from other women who are raped. He now claims that "rape is rape and there's no splitting hairs over rape." This concession means very little, however, in light of his blanket opposition to abortions for women who are raped.
Ryan's position is that all pregnant rape survivors should be treated the same - the government should force them to carry their rapist's baby to term.
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I heard the same on a radio program. The woman chose to have the baby, because she is pro life. The bastard sued for SOLE CUSTODY. This is beyond outrageous. It is hard to believe that it could happen.
He didn't get it. But the fact that it could go to court, is INSANE. He should be in jail
When was the last time either Paul Ryan or Todd Akin were pregnant?
By what logic do these men think it is their right to tell women how to act in a situation they themselves can never experience?
Bogus to the max.
One of the things that bothers me most about the position of the anti-abortion crowd, is that they have no plans in place to take the financial burden off these mothers, both for the emotional and financial toll that bearing these children brings with it. And to top it all off, they then reduce the social services that would be needed to support these families! All in the name of being a good Christian. Go figure.
Then, to make matters worse, these same hypocrites want to impoverish single mothers more by taking away programs to help them: day care, welfare-to-work , food, education- birth control.
And when they further insult the masses by riding in on the backs of a Bibles, I find myself understanding the question: What would Jesus do?
Girls- it's our time. It may take a woman to get a man here, but we've sat in the back womb long enough. Left, right, in the middle; black, white, brown; young, old- it doesn't matter! We need to join hands & make our voices heard, or suffer another 100-yrs of silence.
I say 100 years, because Aug.26 marks 92-yrs women have voted, hard-fought by the Women's Suffrage Movement to give us the 19th amendment. We owe it to our Foremothers who fought for equal recognition in “the pursuit of happiness;” who took being ridiculed, scorned & imprisoned to earn what Aretha sang about but 40-yrs later: Respect.
Yet today? Injustice prevails. Planned Parenthood, once a beacon of light for too many women who needlessly suffered, unable to afford a simple doctor visit, is being stripped to nothing because men like Rick Perry rule it so; because men like Todd Akin have the temerity to put rape and “legitimate” in the same sentence; because men have more access to Viagra than women do over their own bodies.
More wars have been fought in less time than we’ve been able to vote; are we going to allow men like Ryan put Duct tape over our rights as citizens of the human race? Speak now, or forever hold your peace... I don't want my daughters less respected before ever being able to celebrate 100-yrs of recognition.
The hypocrisy is so blatant! They say "less" government at the same time the want "more" government controlling our lives, from school rooms to bedrooms!
ARGGGGGGHHH!!!!!
"pro-life." (And "pro-choice" is the dumbest political slogan in history.) Google "Colman McCarthy" to learn what it means to be "pro-life." I don't qualify because I am not anti-abortion.
He especially might feel differently if he had even been pregnant. Nine months can be a long time.
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