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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ColumnWhat is date rape? It’s rape. If only that was all that needed to be said.

I really feel like the question, “what is date rape?” was answered very effectively in a number of after school specials and very special episodes of TV shows back in the ‘80s and ‘90s. But it’s a question that seems to keep befuddling some people.

The most recently confused person to kick some rape knowledge our way is Richard Dawkins with this tweet: “Date rape is bad. Stranger rape at knifepoint is worse. If you think that’s an endorsement of date rape, go away and learn how to think.”

The statistics about rape are disheartening, to say the least. In January, in response to an alarming rise in reported rapes on college campuses and an alarming trend in colleges shaming women to protect their reputations, a government task force formed. It found that one in five female college students in the United States has been assaulted on campus. One in five is a huge number, and it doesn’t include unreported assaults or men who have been sexually assaulted by women or other men. And, we’re only talking about what happens on college campuses.

Okay, let’s pause. For those of you out there wondering who the hell Richard Dawkins is, here’s a brief introduction excerpted from his TED Talk bio: “As an evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins has broadened our understanding of the genetic origin of our species; as a popular author, he has helped lay readers understand complex scientific concepts.” He’s also well-known for conceptualizing the idea of the meme.

As we’re learning from his recent tweets, he’s not all that bright, scientific credentials aside. Before the date rape tweet, he offered this gem: “Mild pedophilia is bad. Violent pedophilia is worse. If you think that’s an endorsement of mild pedophilia, go away and learn how to think.”

Mild? What the hell kind of pedophilia is mild? And why in the world is he bringing us back to the 2012 discussion sparked by Todd Akin’s use of the phrase “legitimate rape?” How many times do we have to explain that all rape is legitimate? And why is it necessary to rank rape in terms of what “kind” is the worst?

I think what he might be getting at is that, in his opinion (which he seems to confuse for fact), being attacked and raped by a stranger would be scarier than being raped by someone you know. Maybe that’s true for him. I hope he never has the occasion to compare those two experiences to test his theory.

I’m truly trying to figure out how people don’t understand the difference between rape and sex. And it’s not just politicians and washed-up scientists who are confused (or who are masking their lack of concern with confusion), it’s leaders at our nation’s colleges, it’s women against feminism: it’s a lot of fucking people.

We have to change the cultural conversation about rape. Stop asking, “what is date rape?” In fact, stop using the word “date” in relation to the word rape. Rape is rape, whether it happens on a date, at a party, or any place else—and regardless of the sex of the attacker or the victim. Let’s just agree not to use any kind of qualifier before the word rape. Violent rape. All rape is violent. Legitimate rape. All rape is legitimate. I could go on, but I think you get where I am going with this.

So why do we care what Dawkins thinks? Because he’s not alone, and every time another person with an iota of power or influence starts this conversation, we have to respond, because for every step forward, there’s a Dawkins that seems to be saying, “Hey, let’s not take this too seriously, it’s not real rape.”

And this week, we are seeing a big step forward. On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of senators introduced first-of-its-kind legislation that, according to the New York Times, “would require schools to make public the result of anonymous surveys concerning assault on campuses, and impose significant financial burdens on universities that fail to comply with some of the law’s requirements.”

While, according to Dawkins’ logic, there should be distinctions made between “different kinds of rape,” it appears that this ground-breaking legislation is treating all rape as the singular criminal act that it is.

This is a good start, but we need to keep the conversation going because, unfortunately, rapes and rape culture don’t end after graduation.

That Happened is Libby Lowe’s weekly column for EcoSalon analyzing media, news and pop culture through a feminist lens. Keep in touch with Libby @LibbyLowe.

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The post What Is Date Rape? That Happened appeared first on EcoSalon.

Defining “legitimate” rape.

Women’s bodies (mysterious and confusing) have played a big political role this year. This week, our magical ability to recognize that we are being “legitimately” raped and, somehow, protect ourselves from getting pregnant is making headlines.

In case you haven’t heard, when asked how he felt about abortion in cases of rape or incest, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) said, “From what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare [that rape leads to pregnancy]. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist.”

There are lot and lots of problems with this statement. Let’s start with the continuing confusion about how women’s bodies work. According to this elected official, my vagina (or should I say hoo-hah as not to offend the gentleman from Michigan?) has the ability to know when I am under attack and send off sperm killing vibes that will keep me from getting pregnant.

(Akin doesn’t define what the “ways” are, but I like to imagine that my insides are equipped with those knives that shoot out of the sides of cars in 1950s drag races to cut up the competition, a la Grease, but that’s just me.)

Beyond anatomical stupidity, there’s the greater implications intrinsic in this statement. Let’s say that my “sensors” fail to kick in and I get pregnant. Akin’s claim indicates that I wasn’t raped, legitimately or otherwise. I must have really wanted to have sex — if I hadn’t, I surely would have protected myself, right? This victim-blaming idea isn’t new, unfortunately. Check out Jezebel for a solid primer on the history of morons trying to make rape the woman’s fault.

Then there’s Akin’s assertion that pregnancy after rape is a very rare occurrence. If only there was research … oh wait, there is. According to a 2003 study, pregnancy is twice as likely to occur in cases of rape than in cases of consensual sex.

Akin has apologized and admitted that he is wrong, but that’s not enough. It’s highly disturbing that we live in a world in which an elected official — and as such a person with influence over women’s rights — doesn’t understand how babies are made and blames victims for being raped. First, we need to make sure that everyone has access to sex education. Second, we need to make sure that everyone understands that rape is a violent, criminal act — not a different kind of sex. Third, we need to stop electing people who disagree with those two statements.

If you think Akin should resign, sign this petition!

Image: Jeff Roborson/AP

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