Quick Takes (v63): Git Along, Little Dogies

I have to apologize for feeling so pessimistic about the Texas abortion law. I didn't give the Lone Star State a fair shake.

The law absolves the government from having to do their own dirty work, and instead encourages people to spy on, follow, snoop in the trash for sanitary products, and do who knows what else to identify women who might be trying to obtain an abortion more than six weeks after their last menstrual period, and to identify their 'abettors' - friends, family, doctors, clinics, people who give them a ride, and so on.

One of the many complaints about the law is that it has no exceptions for rape and incest. But today, we have reason to rejoice: Gregg Abbott, the governor of Texas, has promised to eliminate rape in the Lone Star State!

While saying that no woman will be forced to carry a rapist's child, because of course they have six weeks to figure out if they're pregnant, and can act at any point during that time (yes, he said that), he also was adamant about rape in general.

Rape is a crime, and Texas will work tirelessly to make sure we eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas by aggressively going out and arresting them and prosecuting them and getting them off the streets. So, goal no. 1 in the state of Texas is to eliminate rape so that no woman, no person, will be a victim of rape.

Well, alrighty then - the problem is solved!! Rejoice, women of Texas!

Oh, wait.... crappydoodlefart. In order to arrest someone for rape, and prosecute them, there must be a victim, otherwise how would we know a rape has occurred? So, won't women have to continue to be victimized?

Assuming we have a victim, we can maybe, if we're lucky and you know, rape kits don't get thrown out, or sit around for decades while the statute of limitation runs out, AND if police start believing women, particularly on date rape, spousal rape, clergy rape, father-daughter rape, uncle-niece rape, brother-sister rape, teacher-student rape, boss-employee rape, rape where alcohol is involved, sex-worker rape, all the other kinds of rape the Rs have defined, and my favorite, rape where "she was clearly asking for it because of her fashion choices" - we can get a prosecution.

Assuming they prosecute and find a rapist guilty, we can sentence him appropriately and keep that *one* rapist from committing any more rapes. Unless of course he's a politician, or maybe a good athlete and shouldn't have his life thrown away for, you know, 20 minutes of action behind a dumpster or anything... or he's an otherwise upstanding member of the community, church, school, company, family and made "just this one mistake..." or other such drivel.

Per the article, in 2019, 14,656 rapes were reported in Texas, according to the state's Department of Public Safety. About 2,200 people were arrested for rape that same year. And, earlier this year, there were over 6,100 rape kits sitting on the shelves in Texas, according to US Senate Whip John Cornyn (R-TX), talking about his home state back in February.

Abbott's emphatic declaration that the state's Number 1 goal is to eliminate rape is laughable; so is his cavalier toss-off line that rape victims can have an abortion at any time during the six weeks after they're raped. I'm guessing he thinks they'll just sit around every day, eating bonbons and taking pregnancy tests, and putting a bunch of Uber or Lyft drivers on speed dial? Not working, going to school, trying to find a safe place to sleep in their own home, trying to avoid the clawing hands of a respected elder, and so on. Just hanging out, taking pregnancy tests.

Nah, I was right to feel so pessimistic. I can almost hear him and the rest of the Republicans singing as they left their press conference, can't you?

Whoopee ti yi yo, git along little dogies. It's your misfortune and none of my own...