Once again, Republican men are saying horrific things about rape.
Yesterday, Oklahoma state representative George Faught shared his terrifying beliefs about women’s bodies, women’s rights to control their own bodies, and the violence done against women’s bodies. Faught is the author of a bill that would make it illegal in Oklahoma to pursue an abortion in the case of a genetic abnormality in the fetus. The proposed bill currently makes no exceptions for rape and incest. When asked by fellow state representative Cory Williams about these cases of rape and incest, Faught said that both were “the will of God.”
According to the New York Times, Williams began by asking Faught if rape is “the will of God.”
Faught responded, “Well, you know, if you read the Bible, there’s actually a couple circumstances where that happened. The Lord uses all circumstances. I mean, you can go down that path, but it’s a reality unfortunately.”
Williams then asked Faught if incest is also “the will of God.”
Faught responded, “Same answer. Doesn’t deal with this bill.”
Williams said, “You are proffering a divine intervention as the reason why you won’t do that and so I think it is very important. This body wants to know — and myself personally — whether you believe rape and incest are actually the will of God.”
Faught said, “You’re saying that God is not sovereign with every activity that happens in someone’s life and can’t use anything and everything in someone’s life. I disagree with that.”
This isn’t the first time a Republican man has said something pretty horrific about rape. Let’s review:
“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to shut that thing down.” — Todd Akin, 2012
“Rape victims should make the best of a bad situation.” — Rick Santorum, 2012
“Even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.” — Richard Mourdock, 2012
“If a woman has (the right to an abortion), why shouldn’t a man be free to use his superior strength to force himself on a woman? At least the rapist’s pursuit of sexual freedom doesn’t (in most cases) result in anyone’s death.” — Lawrence Lockman, 2014
But apparently, Faught’s colleagues agreed with him, because the bill passed in the House with 67 votes.
Via Broadly, the Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice said:
‘This bill is a deeply damaging to reproductive healthcare, as well as the doctor-patient relationship. Further, we find it absolutely unacceptable and inappropriate that the bill’s author, George Faught, argued on the House floor that sexual assault is the will of God. Oklahoma women and families deserve better than a politician that uses his personal dogma to explain away violent crimes against women.’
NARAL has given abortion rights in Oklahoma a “severely restricted” label. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 96% of Oklahoma counties do not have access to an abortion clinic. Only one other state — North Dakota — bans abortion on the basis of fetal abnormalities.
Top photo: Detail from the Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, Wikimedia Commons
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