File Name: 3073.txt

Ä Area: Feminism ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
  Msg#: 333                                          Date: 04-25-95  08:16
  From: Sam                                          Read: Yes    Replied: No 
    To: All                                          Mark:                     
  Subj: Rape Victims Don't Get Pr
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
* Original Area: THEIST_WATCH
* Original From: Robin Murray-o'hair
* Original To  : All

RAPE VICTIMS DON'T GET PREGNANT, SAYS LEGISLATOR

"Juices don't flow" declares Government Solon in North
Carolina  During Abortion Funding Debate
        
by Conrad F. Goeringer
 
     A woman being rape doesn't have anything to worry about, at least in
terms of an unwanted pregnancy -- the "juices don't flow" according to
State Representative Henry Aldridge during a meeting of the House
Appropriations Committee in Raleigh.

     The interesting remarks were made during a debate on a proposal to
eliminate a state abortion fund for poor women.

     "The facts show that people who are raped -- who are truly raped --
the juices don't flow, the body functions don't work, and they don't get
pregnant," said Rep. Aldridge, who is also a periodontist. He went on to
insist that "Medical authorities agree that this is a rarity, if ever."

     Reaction was quick in coming.  The president of the state Coalition
Against Sexual Assault declare: "It's common for rape victims to be
blamed for being raped . . . but this is the first time I've heard of
rape victims being  blamed for becoming pregnant.  I am both
flabbergasted and offended by this man's remarks."

   Aldridge did not specify exactly what "juices" he was talking about.
Earlier, he had made remarks implying that victims of rape or incest were
sexually promiscuous.

   "To get pregnant, it takes a little cooperation," said Aldridge, "and
there ain't much cooperation in a rape."

   North Carolina isn't the only state, however, where lawmakers may need
a good course in human sexuality and basic biology.

  In 1988, a Delaware state legislator said that the odds were "one in
millions and millions and millions" that a women could be impregnated
during a rape attack since the trauma would cause her to release "a
certain secretion" capable of killing sperm.  That bizarre remark came
from then- Representative Stephen Freind, an outspoken opponent of
abortion rights.  He too came under attack from women's rights and
pro-choice groups, and issued a "clarification" --  and a new twist on
his unique biological theory. "It's not the presence of the secretion
that kills the sperm," he said, "It's the lack of those secretions . . .
that don't do their work and trigger the hormones that bring about the
ovulation."

     Friend made an unsuccessful run for the United State Senate in
1992.

      Science Ignorance, and Men Controlling Women's Bodies

     Despite the bizarre theories concerning "juices" and "secretions"
(which will surely puzzle any competent biologist), the latest remarks by
Rep. Aldridge raise a fundamental point -- men have used the power of the
church and the state to control the bodies and biological destinies of
females.  When asked why male legislators should have any say in the
abortion question since male involvement in pregnancy is minimal, one
former Arizona legislator made the statement that "my sperm is a 'gift'
to the woman."  And religious prohibitions concerning abortion often
involve a "naturalist" argument, that it is the destiny or nature of
females to bear children. Men are often ignorant about female biology,
sexuality, and the entire child-bearing process.

   One pro-choice bumper sticker reads:  IF MEN COULD GET PREGNANT,
ABORTION WOULD BE A SACRAMENT.

   Maybe somebody should send one to Rep. Aldridge.

                           --30--


-!- Maximus 2.02
 ! Origin: The Dreaming City [Point] (1:109/629.1)