Kilgore's Abortion Position Draws Fire

[Judi Lynn]

Kilgore's Abortion Position Draws Fire
Advocates Say Many Abuse Victims Cannot Report Crime Within a Week

By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 23, 2005; Page B05

RICHMOND, Sept. 22 -- Advocates for victims of sexual assault on Thursday assailed statements made by Republican gubernatorial candidate Jerry W. Kilgore during campaigns in 1997 and 2001, saying he showed a profound disregard for the suffering women endure immediately after an attack.

In a news conference organized by Kilgore's opponent, Democratic Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, three sexual abuse counselors discussed the Republican's assessment that victims of rape and incest should be allowed abortions only if they report the crime within seven days.

The Virginia governors race is in full swing, with Republican Jerry Kilgore and Democrat Tim Kaine vying along with Russ Potts for the state's top spot.

"It's not only hateful and cruel, it's also impractical," said Jim McKinley-Oakes, a social worker who has counseled victims of sexual assault for more than three decades. "It's an invasion of their privacy not unlike the act of rape itself."

Joyce Allan, who said she was raped by a family member as a child, said Kilgore's insistence that victims report to authorities within a week is a "glaring sign of ignorance and arrogance."
(snip/...)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/22/AR2005092201908.html
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[TaleWgnDg]

1. hey hey hey . . .

.
"Seven days or else you are a forced breeder for the state!"
- Jerry W. Kilgore, Republican Gubernatorial Candidate

(a bumper sticker seen recently in Virginia)

.

[Zynx]

2. Is Kilgore doing everything he can to blow what advantage he had?

He seems prone to foot-in-mouth syndrome and just making otherwise stupid statements.

[underpants]

6. Momma's boy in a suit

trust me no one is paying much attention to the campaign. When they do I can't imagine anyone would want to go back to the Gilmore/Allen days-compared to the MarkWarner days......what am I saying my boss just walked by my office he thinks Warner is a communist.

Getting out the vote will be VITAL. I am going to start volunteering soon but with the baby and all....

[Greeby]

3. Does he also love the smell of napalm in the morning?

Just askin. A Repuke named Kilgore is practically asking for it. ;)

[bluestateguy]

4. That policy could lead to a lot of phony reports to police

May not be popular to say it, but that kind of policy could lead to false accusations against a lot of men of "rape" just so the woman can get a legal abortion. I could see it happening.

[AX10]

8. I agree. That's why abortion CANNOT only be for...

that case.

[Ilsa]

11. ITA. Crimes against women will be sneered at if they are allowed

to carry this concept forward into law. And few who are really raped will report it because they'll fear that others think they are doing it for abortion protection.

[yellowcanine]

13. False rape reports are very rare. Way more common is unreported

rapes. That is why the 7 day thing is wrong. Many women and particularly incest victims are afraid to report the rape. It is only when they get pregnant that their plight becomes known.

[Lars39]

5. It's all about control when "exceptions" are made.

Nut twisting seems an appropriate response to Kilgore's idiocy.

[WildClarySage]

7. Apparently Kilgore thinks that having to give birth and raise a child

is an acceptable punishment for women who consent to sex, but that women who are raped must be punished by having to report the rape to a system which unfailingly revictimizes rape survivors.

Never fear though, fundies. If rape becomes the only acceptable circumstance for abortion, pols like Kilgore will just fall back on the "women who are raped can't/don't get pregnant from the rape" argument.

[AlCzervik]

9. Have you seen this clip?

It's Kilgore and Kaine debating with Tim Russert as the mod and it's a pretty good, the last few minutes are telling.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2005/09/13/VI2005091301465.html?referrer=emaillink

[Iris]

14. Damn! That's pretty telling.

Is Kilgore gay? B/c my gaydar, which is pretty good, was going off.

(not that there's anything wrong with being gay!)

[RaRa]

10. I have at least some respect for the die hard anti choice

when they don't make exception for rape. I am strongly pro-choice and find it absolutely insulting when so-called pro-lifers make exception for cases where the woman doesn't enjoy the sex. That's what it's basically about. Enjoy it, well shame on you. Don't? well, ok then. It's sickening and inconsistent and above all else sexist.

[ret5hd]

12. i agree with you 100% ...

if you TRULY believe that abortion is murdering the innocent, there are no exceptions.

if however, it is about keeping women under control...just sayin'

(for complete clarity, i am 100% pro-choice)