Brown Claims She Only Meant to Punish Those Who Help Rape Victims

[AgingAmerican]

By Amanda Marcotte

I reported two days ago on a New Mexico state legislator named Cathrynn Brown who introduced a bill banning abortion for rape victims that required jail time for rape victims who dare refuse to continue a pregnancy forced upon them. She got a lot of attention for this, and so she’s now doing what Republicans do when caught being too openly hostile towards victims of gender-based violence, and backtracking. Now she claims she didn’t mean for women seeking to end rape-induced pregnancies to see jail time for “destroying evidence” (yeah right), and she’s rewriting the bill to clarify that you’ll only do time if you help a rape victim end a pregnancy. Which means that providers will be threatened with jail.

But just to be clear: She’s specifically trying to ban abortion for rape victims. She wants New Mexico to be a state where any man can decide at any point in time to forcibly impregnate a woman, and that woman is barred legally from doing anything about it.

...

The ugly reality is, as anyone who discusses gender online can tell you, that the hardline conservative base is blatantly misogynist and happy to do things like blame women for men hitting them, or claim that men are entitled to rape women who agree to unchaperoned dates with them.

More here...

So, she doesn't want to jail the victims for 'destroying evidence,' she only wants to jail those who assist the victim? Holy mother of god, what's wrong with these people?

[TeamPooka]

1. Fuck you Ms. Brown.

[Buzz Clik]

3. +1

The "fuck you" invective is used far too much at DU. This time, nothing else fits.

[joeybee12]

17. And twice on Sundays...nt

[Rider3]

29. Only thing left to say to her

Here, here.

[lsewpershad]

39. From under which rock

did this slime slither?

[Doctor_J]

4. Once we forcibly overthrow Big Media

and Hate Radio, this kind of shit will be broadcast on 1500 stations 24/7, and Ms. Brown will be the subject of hatred, abuse, threats, and epithets until she's hounded from office and into hiding. the only thing that allows this behavior is that her ilk completely control information control in the US.

[sakabatou]

5. Good god I hate her.

[rivegauche]

12. Me too. It makes me so furious I could eat nails. nt

[Angry Dragon]

6. Ms. Brown fails to connect the dots

discriminatory law

republicans fail to think things through to their conclusion

[Initech]

7. What the holy hell is wrong with these pro life assholes???

[redqueen]

15. They hate women. nt

[Dont call me Shirley]

25. Just look at her, bleach blonde hair, way too much make up, gigantic hats and gaudy clothes

[demwing]

28. What does her appearance have to do w/ anything

Do only dangerous assholes bleach their hair and wear makeup and big hats?

[bettyellen]

35. Shirley you jest!

What the hell do her looks have to with it?

[Freddie]

30. Easy--once there's 2 cells in a woman's uterus

She ceases to be a human being, she becomes a walking incubator.

[Puzzledtraveller]

8. They can't seem to keep from stepping in it can they.

[niyad]

9. Brown Claims She Only Meant to Punish Those Who Help Rape Victims

that statement is mind-boggling. I don't want to punish rape victims, only those who help them (gee, does that mean you will go after doctors, mental health professionals, shelters, etc. as well?)

this woman is clearly delusional and hateful, and needs to step down, and check herself into an I-love-me jacket.

[Sheepshank]

14. How does this end-around not punish rape victims who find themselves pg?

OF COURSE she is stull punishing the victim.

She cannot avoid that real truth.

[Ikonoklast]

16. Deep down, Republicans know that rape victims all asked for it and need to be punished.

Right Wing Xtianity Nutjobs know that all women are evil temptresses who entice unsuspecting men into raping them.



Jesus would have a field day beating these idiots with a knotted rope.

[Sheepshank]

18. ..just ask Pat Robertson.

Damn temptresses....it's not the dudes fault.

[Autumn]

10. God that woman is just plain stupid

What the hell .

[Demo_Chris]

11. She is absolutely evil and sociopathic

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

13. "No good deed goes unpunished." W.C. Fields Helping rape victims is a criminal offense now.

So, she's not going to put rape victims in jail for refusing to carry to term, but she will put in jail anyone who helps her not carry to term.

Kinda like saying you can go to a barber for a haircut but jail any barber that gives you one.

[Rex]

19. Evil.

nt.

[tclambert]

20. Is there no end to Republicans saying stupid things about rape?

[Bake]

21. Jindal was right ... they ARE the STUPID PARTY.

The bill, as I understand it, has no chance of becoming law.

Bake

[Marrah_G]

22. this

[Dawson Leery]

23. Is there a process to recall this subversive theocrat?

[Dont call me Shirley]

24. Just called my rightwing NM rep asking her not to support this

horrendous bill revictimizing women who have already been atrociously victimized.

[Kalidurga]

26. So a walk back and a double down...

That is one neat trick right there. And somehow it sounds even worse than what she originally said.

[Solly Mack]

27. k/r

[LiberalFighter]

31. 2 issues with this

1) What is the psychological impact on women that are forced to complete their pregnancy when it involves rape? If the woman has a boyfriend that did not impregnate the woman and loses him because of child not sired by him? If the woman is married and the husband is not the father and they divorce. If the husband not the father does not treat the child as his own. The child being a reminder to the woman of the rapist. Even if the woman gives up the child for adoption she still knows it is out there and there is the possibility the child attempts to reunite. So many other issues with this that results in a different road taken.

2) What is wrong with the women that want to force this on others? Do they ever think this through?

[pansypoo53219]

32. is she also proposing ALL COSTS OF SAID RAPE BABIES BE PAID FOR BY THE STATE OR THE PERP?

[ljm2002]

33. Either way the raped woman is forced to give birth...

...which is of course the goal here. Because, you know, we wouldn't want those wimmin to think they can just go around enjoying themselves getting raped without any consequences!!

[libodem]

34. That is so personally invasive of privacy

Jaw dropping foolishness.

[bullwinkle428]

36. Clearly, all the Repukes think they have to do is get women in their party

to push these vile and horrific anti-woman policies rather than the Akins and Mourdocks, and everything will be peachy-keen!

Bill Gates doesn't have enough money to buy them a clue.

[Lurker Deluxe]

37. Well ...

Not that I am about to make excuses for anyone who is so obviously anti-choice but the bill really does read like it is attempting to stop someone who rapes a woman and then attempts to force her to have an abortion to destroy the evidence of the crime.

http://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/13%20Regular/bills/house/HB0206.html

"B. Tampering with evidence shall include procuring or facilitating an abortion, or compelling or coercing another to obtain an abortion, of a fetus that is the result of criminal sexual penetration or incest with the intent to destroy evidence of the crime. "

Again, her motives are clear, she is anti-choice, but ... stopping a father, who raped his daughter, from forcing her to have an abortion to cover up the crime is not a bad thing.

[rivegauche]

38. I live in New Mexico

Yesterday I wrote & mailed that bitch a scorching letter. I didn't threaten her or anything, of course, I'm not a violent loon. But I explained very emphatically that she's unfit to hold office and that I'd do everything I can to get her out of office next election. She is a disgrace.

[smirkymonkey]

40. What a piece of shit she is.

F her. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[ReRe]

41. Ms Brown belongs behind a...

...a pulpit, not in the state legislature of New Mexico. Get religion out of our government!!!!
Anyone who legislates against rape victims or those who help them in any way on the grounds of her/his anti-abortion religious beliefs, should be relieved of her/his duties and told to never run for a government office again. Tell her to go work for the Taliban.

[kimbutgar]

42. When is she up for re-election? I will send money to her Democratic opponent to make sure she is out

of government permanently. People like her have no business being in the legislature. Honestly sane voters should boot all these crazy people out in the next election. Don't complain vote! I voted in 2010 did you?

[mwooldri]

43. I just don't understand.

This is a female legislator, right? If this came from a male, I can certainly see where he would get his false ideas. Rape is rape, no matter the gender. For women, when draped by a "man", there is this added thing called pregnancy. It is up to the woman as to what she wants to do with a pregnancy, full stop.

Yet she appears to me to have the empathy part of her brain unwired. With rape and pregnancy both together there is a host of mental health (not bad, just they exist) issues going on that need to be worked through. Now this legislator would like to throw a whole lot of obstacles in the way?

I know this may come off absolutely callous - and really I do not wish this on anyone - but maybe she needs to go through the experience of a horrific rape, find out she is pregnant and then figure out what to do. To emphasise this: I don't wish this on anyone - not even this legislator. Has she really thought this through?

I know, I'm just a guy reading this and thinking WTF... but any woman that much in distress about an unwanted pregnancy of any kind needs to get all of the health care she needs - even if it involves the termination of the pregnancy. Left untreated, the medical situation can get a whole lot worse. To legislate barriers to people to get the best healthcare a person needs - when medical professionals and the patient decides it is the right course of treatment - is wrong. In this case, the legislator is proposing jail time to medical professionals for assisting a patient with a medical procedure. It's wrong and probably unconstitutional. If it isn't well it bloody well should be.

In any case I hope her proposed legislation dies in committee, if ever introduced, and soundly voted down.

[AgingAmerican]

44. The inability to experience empathy is the GOP calling card

It is also the defining feature of psychopathy.

[Zax2me]

45. Off track

Would be the kindest thing I could EVER say about her after reading this.
Everything else (the other 99.99999%) I would say is full of ?!#%&!!? so I'll just stay with off track.