Hello Good Sir,
I am taking a moment out of my very busy day to write to you
about your remarks on rape. Of course,
as a man you cannot understand what it is like to be raped, you can however
attempt to empathize with the women in our world who do go through this
horrible act. The violation that you
feel not only physically (the body does not "shut down" the forceful
insertion of a man's privates as you insinuated) but mentally. To feel so violated is to hurt your spirit,
your vitality, in some cases even your will to go on; to get out of bed in the
morning can even be an effort. Rape is
violent. One man imposing his will over
another in such a detrimental way is nothing short of horrific. Therapy and a strong support circle; be it
family, the church, the legal system - or all these systems combined, can help one
out of the pit of despair that one may find themselves in after such an event.
I know that it can be hard to relate to this sort of
situation because as a white man you’re not often in a position of such
inferior power. But to be robbed of your
most basic of rights, that of safety, in such a personal and vial way is not
something that should EVER be spoken of callously and without consideration to
people’s realities. Your statement about a woman’s body somehow protecting
itself from a “legitimate rape” (in and of itself an awfully insensitive
statement) illustrates how little you know, empathize and care about woman’s
health and safety. Until such a time
that you at least try to empathize with victims in these circumstances, I do
not think you have a place to speak against any solution that a women would
seek in the case of a rape. Certainly
not that of a pregnancy following rape.
I respectfully request your public apology, or at the least, an apology
to me personally because reading about your response to such a heart wrenching
situation with such little understanding of the truth behind it, is not only
sad but infuriating. My heart goes out
to any women who have found themselves with a pit in their stomach, perhaps
remembering an awful event in their history, hearing or reading your words. These women who have perhaps fought the hard
won battle to move on with their lives… forgetting that awful moment, only to
be reminded that people such as yourself whom have influence over many, still
do not understand, respect or appreciate the horror or rape. As a congressmen you have a duty to not only
your constitutes, but to the people of this country to be respectful and
thoughtful. Think before you speak and
apologize when you’ve done wrong.
On a closing note, please note that I don’t need to qualify
the statement; rape is rape, there is not a “legitimate” form, whereby marginalizing
another.
Regards,
MMM
