Kansas Republican Rep. Pete DeGraaf of Kansas stuck the proverbial foot in his mouth last week when debating whether to cover abortions for pregnancies that are the result of rape. Peter Rugg of Pitch.com is reporting Kansas legislators approved a ban on insurance companies that offer abortion coverage as part of their general health plans last week. The one exception: when a woman's life is at risk.
DeGraaf, who is in his first term and is an associate pastor, also called for banning coverage for abortions of rape pregnancies. Women could get around this if they purchased separate, "abortion-only policies."
During the House discussion, there was predictably some disagreement over whether excluding rape pregnancies from coverage was perhaps the sort of callous treatment that a recently violated woman shouldn't have to deal with. Here's DeGraaf's response to Rep. Barbara Bollier's challenge, as reported by the McPherson Sentinel:
Rep. Pete DeGraaf, a Mulvane Republican who supports the bill, told her: "We do need to plan ahead, don't we, in life?"
Bollier asked him, "And so women need to plan ahead for issues that they have no control over with pregnancy?"
DeGraaf drew groans of protest from some House members when he responded, "I have a spare tire on my car."
"I also have life insurance," he added. "I have a lot of things that I plan ahead for."
So women should be planning ahead for rape and in case pregnancy occurs during said rape. Really? DeGraaf demonstrates a complete lack of empathy for women who are not only victimized during rape but are told that they would be wrong to terminate a pregnancy — a constant reminder of said rape — to such an extent that they should be punished medically and financially.
How much can you possibly hate women to think this is reasonable, and be so flippant about it as to compare having an "abortion-only" policy to a spare tire? This hateful rhetoric that men like DeGraaf continue to spew, which shows absolutely no regard for anyone other than themselves and corporations, is maddening. The saddest part about this story is that people actually voted this guy into office. Cue the circus music for DeGraaf and his supporters.
Read more at Pitch.com.
In other news: President Obama to Visit Tornado-Ravaged Missouri Sunday.
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