The ministrations of lawmakers who seem to believe women are chattel roll on, today to the Indiana State legislature. There, lawmakers are considering HB 1210, which "would make most abortions illegal after 20 weeks." (Current law imposes restrictions at the 24 week mark.) One lawmaker, state Representative Gail Riecken (D) urged her colleagues to consider an amendment that would provide exceptions to the law for women who were rape or incest survivors. But the law's sponsor, Representative Eric Turner (R) was ready for that. Per Tanya Somander at Think Progress:
Turner then stepped to the podium and insisted that Riecken's amendment would create a "giant loophole" for women. That loophole? Women "could simply say they've been raped":
TURNER: With all due respect to Rep. Riecken, I understand what she's trying to do. But as you know that when the federal health care bill was going through Congress there was a lot of discussion whether this would allow for abortion coverage and of course we were all told it would not. And the bill, my house bill 1210, would prevent that for any insurance company to provide abortion coverage under federal health care bill. This [amendment] would open that window and I would ask you to oppose this amendment.I just want you to think about this, in my view, giant loophole that could be created where someone who could -- now i want to be careful, I don't want to disparage in any way someone who has gone through the experience of a rape or incest -- but someone who is desirous of an abortion could simply say that they've been raped or there's incest.
Yeah, okay, not to "disparage" anyone, but we have to close this "fake rape loophole" I just dreamed up, even if it negatively impacts actual women who have actually been raped. Sorry, rape survivors! A few bad apples just straight up ruined it for everybody!
Naturally, the House voted down Riecken's amendment, which would have also provided an exception for "women for whom pregnancy [is life-threatening] or could cause serious and irreversible physical harm." So, you might as well stop pretending, woman who has "died" from "complications due to pre-eclampsia," because you're not fooling anybody, either.
RELATED:
VIDEO: Indiana GOP Rep Says Women Will Pretend To Be Raped To Get Free Abortions [Think Progress]
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