Planning ahead for rape

23 Mar

Outrage followed after Kansas state Rep. Pete DeGraaf compared being raped to getting a flat tire. During a House discussion of a bill that will ban insurance companies from covering abortion insurance under general healthcare plans, DeGraaf said women needed to “plan ahead” for being raped and possibly impregnated against their will. From the Associated Press:

And Rep. Barbara Bollier, a Mission Hills Republican who supports abortion rights, questioned whether women would buy abortion-only policies long before they have crisis or unwanted pregnancies or are rape victims.

During the House’s debate, Rep. Pete DeGraaf, a Mulvane Republican who supports the bill, told her: “We do need to plan ahead, don’t we, in life?”

Bollier asked him, “And so women need to plan ahead for issues that they have no control over with a pregnancy?”

DeGraaf drew groans of protest from some House members when he responded, “I have spare tire on my car.”

“I also have life insurance,” he added. “I have a lot of things that I plan ahead for.”

I don’t even know where to start with this one. Some random thoughts.

If men could get pregnant, would they introduce bills that would ban insurance companies from covering abortion?
Lets assume that the woman in this situation is a wife or mother or daughter. Wouldn’t other members of her family want her to have coverage under her health plan so that they could more easily recover from the
Is it financially viable for women to buy abortion only plans from insurance companies? Why would insurance companies want to offer such a product. Is there a market for that? Does that already exist as a product?
What other medically necessary procedures can be spun off from regular health insurance?
If a woman had planned ahead for rape, does it invalidate the claim that she was raped? There have been cases of rapists being set free because the woman told the rapist to wear a condom. Does this fall into the same category?

Mother Jones put together a very helpful venn diagram to illustrate all the ways in which rape is not like a flat tire. http://motherjones.com/mixed-media/2011/05/venn-diagram-rape-vs-flat-tire