Another one of Missouri’s politicians is in the news for his incredibly interesting – and insane – views concerning women’s bodies.
Jezebel reports that Rick Brattin, Missouri state representative, recently “filed a bill proposing that a woman seeking an abortion be forced to get ‘written, notarized consent’ from the father. Except, he says, in the case of ‘legitimate rape.’”
I don’t know if I am going to cry, or puke. Probably both.
Mother Jones reports that the bill was first filed on December 3. Brattin – let’s call him “the Brat” from now on – explained his stance on “legitimate rape” to Molly Redden, Mother Jones reporter, by saying that a woman would have to prove she was raped in order to get an abortion sans consent. For example, the woman “couldn’t just go and say, ‘Oh yeah, I was raped,’ and get an abortion. It has to be a legitimate rape.”
Toooootally understandable, bro.
Luckily, as Jezebel points out, the Brat’s bill won’t ever see the light of day (praise be). In 1976, the case Planned Parenthood v. Danforth made it unconstitutional for a female to have to obtain spousal consent before being allowed to get an abortion.
While I know that the bill is going nowhere, I’m still pretty darn grossed out that it was even filed. First off, I live in Missouri and it’s quite difficult to wrap my head around just how many men in the Midwest want to control women’s bodies. It’s, like, geeze, boys – chill with your uterus envy already. Also it’s just plain gross that women’s bodies are still politicized and that more than a handful of people think these types of bills are acceptable. Abortion is a woman’s decision – case closed.
And can we also say that for the record there is no such thing as legitimate rape. There are legitimate idiots, though, and the Brat is totally proof of that fact.
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