KANSAS STATE Rep. Pete DeGraaf has a novel way of talking about rape.
Last month, during a discussion of a bill that would ban insurance companies from covering abortions under general health care plans, DeGraaf said women needed to "plan ahead" for being raped--and the possibility that they might become pregnant as a result of that rape.
According to the Associated Press, when Rep. Barbara Bollier questioned whether women would buy abortion-only policies long before they have crisis or unwanted pregnancies or are rape victims, Rep. DeGraaf, who supports the bill, responded: "We do need to plan ahead, don't we, in life?"
It got worse:
Bollier asked him, "And so women need to plan ahead for issues that they have no control over with a pregnancy?"
DeGraaf drew groans of protest from some House members when he responded, "I have spare tire on my car."
"I also have life insurance," he added. "I have a lot of things that I plan ahead for."
DeGraaf seemed not to understand that the possible consequences of being raped--physical and psychological trauma, exposure to sexually transmitted infection, the possibility of a victim being told they were "asking for it," and, of course, the possibility of an unintended pregnancy--are a little more serious and long-lasting than a flat tire.
