To all the women out there who believe Governor Palin is there to stand up and protect women and will be an advocate for women, here on day #2 of KT’s attempts at focusing on policy and substance, I urge you all to learn more about Governor Palin’s track record. As it turns out, Alaska has the highest number of sexual assaults in the country and typically, survivors of rape are NOT charged for the medical exam, except those who lived in Wasilla when Palin was the Mayor. In fact, the Alaska legislature had to intervene and pass a bill forbidding communities from charging women for this service, though it seems Wasilla, under Palin’s watch, was the only local community charging the women.
On the contrary, Senator Joe Biden WROTE the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and said the following about this important, pro-woman, piece of legislation:
“I consider the Violence Against Women Act the single most significant legislation that I’ve crafted during my 35-year tenure in the Senate. Indeed, the enactment of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994 was the beginning of a historic commitment to women and children victimized by domestic violence and sexual assault. Our nation has been rewarded for this commitment. Since the Act’s passage in 1994, domestic violence has dropped by almost 50%, incidents of rape are down by 60%, and the number of women killed by an abusive husband or boyfriend is down by 22%. Today, more than half of all rape victims are stepping forward to report the crime. And since we passed the Act in 1994 over a million women have found justice in our courtrooms and obtained domestic violence protective orders.”
If you’d like to read more about this breaking news, here is the link:
KT out.
I can speak from personal experience on the topic of medical exams after a rape and felt compelled to chime in on this topic. While in college I became one of the statistics they always tell you about in freshman orientation (imagine 6 girlfriends you know – by the end of college 4 of them will be sexually assaulted) and was raped. I won’t go into details, but it was medically nescessary for me visit the ER after the assault. I received great care and referrals for counseling, etc. I was not charged for the visit and neither were my parents (I was on their health insurance). I don’t know if I could have paid for it morally or financially in the state I was in.
I am appalled that Gov. Palin would force a rape survivor to pay for the medical exam. It is hard enough to get the courage to GO to the ER and admit what has happened to you to multiple doctors, nurses, and social workers. Then to top it off you have to PAY for it? How dare you! How can we teach our daughters, sisters, mothers, and friends that to the best way to combat sexual assault is to report it and have the perpetrators brought to justice if then you are forced to pay for a very unpleasant and further degrading series of examinations and tests. It is absurd. And this is what makes a “feminist” politician? I think not.
I pray (yes, I pray too) that the women of America will see that the Barracuda DOES not have their best interests at heart. I ask you all – do you want an advisary or an advocate? Palin’s views on how women are extreme and do not represent the majority of American women. Please don’t vote McCain/Palin in 08.
I worked as a legislative aide for Rep. Eric Croft and moved this bill through the Alaska State Legislature to final signature by Gov. Tony Knowles. While I don’t remember anything about Sarah Palin (I mean, who gave a crap about her back then?), it was clear that Wasilla and possibly other small towns in the Mat-Su Valley and on the Kenai Peninsula were charging rape victims for the forensic exam that occurred after a rape. I think what people don’t understand is that after a rape, a women’s body is the scene of a crime and they are carefully examined with a fine tooth comb for hair, skin and bodily fluids that will help find any clues. The police were essentially charging women’s health insurance the cost of the kit. If they didn’t have insurance there were many rumors that women who were victims received bills from the police. Just imagine that. You’ve just been raped and then you receive a bill from the police charging for investigating the case.
Because of the nature of rape crimes, it is difficult to get women to come forward to discuss this. Most want to move on an stay silent rather than discuss their assaults and bills. Nevertheless, as the article would suggest, the chief of police in the neanderthal town wanted to “save the taxpayers burden” rather than fulfill a common public service. I can’t say for certain whether Palin approved this policy but I can imagine that in a small town of 6,000 that she was very aware of most crimes and must have been aware of how the investigations where held. Shame on her.