On The Issue Of Rape The GOP and Gadhafi Have A Lot In Common

[Donnachaidh]

http://www.politicususa.com/en/rape-gop-gadhafi#comment-80089




The civil war in Libya has captured the attention of the world to the point that the United Nations declared a no-fly zone to stop the slaughter of civilians by forces loyal to Muammar Gadhafi. Gadhafi’s military is accused of atrocities and possible war crimes, and now 15 of his forces are accused of raping a young woman. When she reported the rape, she was promptly whisked off, detained, and charged with being a prostitute as well as making accusations of a sexual crime. Many pundits criticize the Middle East for its mistreatment of women and cite examples like the Libyan woman’s rape as a reason to vilify Islam. However, the young woman in Libya experienced the same treatment Republicans in Congress and statehouses are attempting to legislate into law right here in America.

After the young Libyan woman was tied up and gang raped for two days by 15 government men, she escaped and burst into a room full of international journalists to report the crime. She was promptly apprehended by security officials who held her in custody and eventually charged her with being mentally ill, a prostitute, a drunk, a thief, and guilty of slander for making accusations of a sexual crime. The story is an insult to the sensibilities of decent Americans and was widely covered by main-stream media outlets to show the savage treatment women in Islamic countries experience as a matter of course.

The woman’s family was offered a bribe if she would retract her story, but her family steadfastly supports their daughter despite the stigma of “damaged goods” women endure after suffering such treatment in the Muslim world. The 15 men accused of detaining and raping the woman filed a counter-complaint against her for slander, and the case is being called a “grave offense” by Libyan officials. The Middle East is notorious for the mistreatment of women and Americans are revolted that a rape victim can be executed by stoning for being raped whether it is reported or not. Unfortunately, Republican lawmakers are adopting Sharia law standards that will place American women in the same situation the young Libyan rape victim found herself in.

In Congress last month, Republicans proposed H.R. 3, the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” and one of the measure’s provisions called for redefining rape to be only if a woman could prove that she was forcibly raped. The measure is a treacherous attack on rape victims that forces the woman to prove their attacker physically assaulted them before they could be eligible for an abortion. The same law, H.R. 3, mandates that the Internal Revenue Service police and audit how Americans pay for abortions, and if a company provides health insurance for a plan that covers abortion, whether used or not, the company and taxpayer are disallowed from deducting health costs. Besides being obtrusive and humiliating to women, it is, in effect, a huge tax increase for the company and the policy holder if neither one can deduct medical expenses.

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