McCain Voted Against Biden Law Requiring Free Rape Exams

[babsbunny]

http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/11/165456/985/717/595263

by JedReport
Thu Sep 11, 2008 at 02:01:46 PM PDT

In 1994, John McCain voted against legislation -- pushed through Congress by Joe Biden -- that helped put an end to the practice of charging rape victims for sexual assault exams.

Twisted as it may sound, charging victims for a forensic exam was a real problem. For example, as AMERICAblog has documented (and the media is now reporting), when Sarah Palin was mayor of Wasilla, the town charged rape victims for the exams.

Biden's legislation required that state, local, and Indian governments provide the rape exams to victims free of charge as a condition of receiving federal funds under the Violence Against Women Act. In 2000, Alaska finally passed state legislation in order to qualify for federal funding.

* JedReport's diary :: ::
*

McCain not only opposed Biden's legislation, but also has voted against funding it as recently as October 2007.

McCain voted against final passage of Biden's legislation. He had supported an earlier version, but on the question of actually making the legislation the law of the land, McCain joined 35 conservative Republicans (and 2 Democrats) and said "no" to ensuring that all women had access to rape exams free of charge.

Here's the text of the rape exam provision in Biden's legislation:

[gateley]

1. That's despicable. nt

[peacebird]

2. McCain/Palin support raping rape victims. There is no excuse for this - talk about blaming VICTIMS

As a woman who was raped - this is heinous.

This is nauseating.

[Ashy Larry]

3. That would explain this new yard sign

[Barack_America]

4. Reprehensible. Disgusting.

The bottom line with this is that these people do not believe that rape is a crime.

They certainly at least believe that many women lie about being raped.

Don't let them fool you, this is the reason behind their desire to make women pay to have their own attackers prosecuted.

[MadrasT]

5. Doesn't get much better than this.

Ties McGrumpy to Mooselini's heinous policy, and Smokin' Joe is the good guy to boot!

THIS needs to be a commercial.