Honestly there are some "conservative" values that I have to seriously call into question. Lately one of values that is at the top of my list is how "rape" is being discussed by the right wing. Between arguments that we shouldn't have to spend money on programs related to sexual assault in the military to trying to redefine what "rape" really means in some cases.
Places like fox news will have you believe that it is inevitable that women will be violently raped if they are in the military. I was in the Marines for 6 years and I'm disgusted that fox news can make it seem like its only because of "feminists" that we have this problem. If there is a rise in the amount of violent rapes in the military then that is an issue that needs to be dealt with not by hiding women away but dealing with the occurrences that do happen and putting in measures so that it is understood that this isn't acceptable behaviour ever and it will be dealt with accordingly. This isn't some "liberal agenda" to "destroy America"...unless you believe America = ignorance.
The GOP is also pushing for a change in terminology about rape to stop some women from having a unwanted pregnancy terminated that resulted from a sexual assault to just those that involved actual force. If the GOP has its way if a woman is drugged, raped and becomes pregnant from that rape then they should just deal with it. To boot the GOP's position on birth control methods like the morning after pill would be removed as an option too. If your 12-13 year old daughter is groomed by a sexual predator and becomes pregnant the GOP also believes that situation isn't good enough to warrant the term rape. If you have a mentally retarded female family member that doesn't have the cognitive reasoning power to understand what is happening and is sexually assaulted and becomes pregnant then that to isn't good enough for them.
The GOP wants to twist the definition of rape to push their ideology on everyone else. You can be assured that they wouldn't stop there either. "Pro-Life" groups already indicate there is zero tolerance for ending a pregnancy. Even in the case where the mother's life is at risk. Rick Perry position now is that there is no acceptable reason for terminating a pregnancy and that includes when the mother's life is at risk.[1]
Combine this with the GOP's support for limiting women's access to birth control, not abortions, not the morning after pill but just normal contraceptive services is a testament to how the GOP want women in their place. Just last week the republicans blocked any females from testifying in a house hearing on the topic of contraception access for women.[2]
This is the conservative party of 2012. A party that wants to have control over your, your wife's, your sisters', your daughters', your best friends' access to basic women's health care. No control is the wrong word. They don't want them to have access to those services. According to them abstinence-only education is the only option and looking at the history on how that works you have to be mentally deficient if that is what you put forward. Texas has shown us, with the highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation, how well that works. [3]
The GOP's view on women's reproductive health isn't even pre 1960. They are shooting for a return to the dark ages where rape is first looked at as a problem of the woman not a problem we have to deal within our society. Is this the "conservative America" you want to live in? I'm not asking you to vote for Obama here. I'm asking you to think about some basic "core values" the "right" is trying to ram down America's throat. If you are a republican speak up an let your politicians know that if they continually make women's rights into removal of women's rights that you won't be supporting them, unless you think that women in the military should just expect to be rape more often. Is that what you really think?
[1] http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/rick-perry-changes-opinion-on-abortion-15244664
[2] http://publicola.com/2012/02/16/women-silenced-at-us-house-hearing-on-contraception-access/
[3] http://www.care2.com/causes/wisconsin-gop-pushes-abstinence-only-bill.html
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