A bill proposed by a Republican state lawmaker in Missouri would require a woman seeking an abortion to obtain notarized consent from the baby’s father, even if he is physically abusive toward her.
The bill’s sponsor, State Rep. Rick Brattin, told Mother Jones that while the bill has exceptions for rape victims and to protect the life of the mother, women in domestic violence situations are not exempt from having to ask the father’s permission. “What does that have to do with the child’s life?” Brattin said. “Just because it was an abusive relationship, does that mean the child should die?”
In explaining the bill to Mother Jones, Brattin channeled Todd Akin, the former Republican congressman from Missouri who, during a failed 2012 Senate bid, said that women who are victims of “legitimate rape” have mechanisms in their bodies that prevent them from getting pregnant. Brattin said his bill would require a woman to be able to prove that a “legitimate rape” happened in order to avoid having to ask for a man’s consent for the abortion.
“Just like any rape, you have to report it, and you have to prove it,” said Brattin. “So you couldn’t just go and say, ‘Oh yeah, I was raped,’ and get an abortion. It has to be a legitimate rape.”
Brattin said he was inspired to introduce the bill on December 3 for the next legislative session, but it has not moved yet in the Missouri House. He said he was inspired to change the laws around abortion consent because he was required to obtain his wife’s consent before having a vasectomy.
Notice the complete lack of empathy for women. Notice that they ask why the fetus should be punished, but no one questions the punishment the mother would inevitably suffer if forced to carry the pregnancy and raise a child under an abusive father’s hatred. Notice that the woman is assumed to be deserving of this punishment unless she can prove that she has already been punished sufficientlyby rape or a threat to her life.
Let me repeat that: In order to prove that she does not deserve an unwanted pregnancy, a woman must prove that she has already been sufficiently punished by either rape or threat to her life. There is no option for her to prove that she is undeserving of punishment altogether. Nor is an environment of fear and abuse is not considered sufficient punishment for her, and it’s certainly not considered sufficient reason to avoid raising a child. This is how we know that forced pregnancy is about punishing women, and not about saving children.
So over this shit. I’ve been over this shit for 15 years.
Bonus points for the bill being SUPER cissexist and using gendered language to talk about pregnancy throughout.
-shivers- This is so gross.