Althouse: "Women don’t make this up! My Goodness!"

March 30, 2011

"Women don’t make this up! My Goodness!"

"This is the state of Indiana!"

66 comments:

traditionalguy said...: That limited exception for rape and incest is needed. A woman does need that basic freedom.; 3/30/11, 10:10 PM
Synova said...: Oh, they do so.

The fact that the outraged person worked with rape victims says zip about what non-rape victims will do or say if they see a reason to. It might be silly or at least unproductive to worry about someone somewhere getting away with something by lying (a system where this was not possible would be a horrific tyranny), but it's every bit as silly to insist that no one will lie.

Not about THAT!

Oh, yes they do.; 3/30/11, 10:11 PM
JimM47 said...: Is there text of the proposed amendment somewhere?

All these recent abortion stories have taught me to be wary of any claim made about proposed legislation if I can't actually look at the text itself, and research how it will play out in its details.; 3/30/11, 10:17 PM
Synova said...: Now, one could argue that 20 weeks is plenty of time to realize that a rape has resulted in pregnancy or that you're related to the father. Except that the pregnancy itself might be a secret from legal guardians for that long.

More important than excepting rape is the seeming need to except "life of the mother" in the bill itself. I don't know how the bill could have made life-saving procedures illegal, and the inclusion of exceptions to the 20 week rule for true medical necessity implies that someone really was going to force women to carry a baby bound to kill them, however often that happens without anyone knowing before 20 weeks that there is a serious problem. Push much past the 20 weeks and it can be a cesarean instead.

I figure, if during the bad old days when abortions were illegal that there was a rash of women dying because they couldn't get a doctor to save their lives, I think we'd know about it because the examples would be trotted out constantly along with the back-alleyways and coat hangers.; 3/30/11, 10:25 PM
Rob said...: It is not my intention to comment on the law or the amendment. However, statements such as "women don't make this up" or "children don't make this up" are simply wrong. Sometimes they do. Not often, but they do.; 3/30/11, 10:26 PM
Automatic_Wing said...: I do like how she added the bit about Indiana. You'd totally expect the bitches in Illinois and Kentucky to invent rape stories, but such a thing couldn't possibly happen in the Hoosier state.; 3/30/11, 10:33 PM
KCFleming said...: "Women don’t make this up!"

The claim about 'making it up' was stupid, but a reaction tied to the chronic and unthinking use of abortion as a common method of birth control.

Stupid, still.

The simple solution would be to keep the exclusion in, and require the crime to be reported by the physician.

Which is most likely already the law.; 3/30/11, 10:33 PM
coketown said...: Fine. Amend the bill, and amend the amendment to say a any rape exemptions must be followed by an investigation. That way you don't get any, "Oh, yeah, I was raped, like so hard, and now I'm like preggers, so can I have my pills?"

And out of curiosity, why rape and incest? Do they mean incestuous rape? Or any pregnancies-by-incest? Seems that would create an unfair exemption for women who are in incestuous and consensual relationships. But if they mean incestuous rape, why not just say rape? Are they trying to use the scary unnaturalness of incest to their advantage? As though voters are like, "Ew! Incest! Well of course we can't let a baby like THAT come to term. Imagine the extra appendages!" I think murdering babies is more unnatural than incest.; 3/30/11, 10:40 PM
Milwaukee said...: Women who haven't been raped might make up that story. What about all the victims of statutory rape who aren't reporting the crime to the police while having their abortion courtesy of Planned Parenthood? The legislator mentioned three victims: an 18-month old, a 6-year-old and a 97-year-old. As awful as the crime against them, it's highly unlikely any of them would need an abortion.

No doubt illegal abortionist have killed women in the past, but probably not in the numbers reported. A death from a botched abortion would probably be pretty obvious in an autopsy, and so should generate a murder investigation. Are the pro-abortionist suggesting the police ignored all those murders?

The percentage of women getting abortion who report themselves are victims of rape or incest are small compared to the total number of abortions. The percentages of Black women aborting their babies is much higher than Whites or Hispanics.; 3/30/11, 10:54 PM
Anonymous said...: "Now, one could argue that 20 weeks is plenty of time to realize that a rape has resulted in pregnancy or that you're related to the father. Except that the pregnancy itself might be a secret from legal guardians for that long."

My understanding that abortion after 20 weeks usually had to do with fetal genetic defects and occasionally maternal high blood pressure issues.

In any case, Americans really love to argue about this.; 3/30/11, 11:21 PM
Judy said...: Ok I agree that the rape issue is a sensitive one. However, if this thinking that women don't make this stuff up, is the standard thought on the matter, there is one flaw with that.
Why are rape victims degraded, and accused of lying in the court room?
What about that story of the 11 year old, and Al Sharpton vilifying her.
Where is the outrage there?
They can't have it both ways ya know.; 3/30/11, 11:28 PM
Cindy Martin said...: I thought Roe v Wade limited the state's rights to determine second trimester abortion only when the health of the mother is a problem?; 3/30/11, 11:54 PM
Justin said...: /facepalm

Didn't Mitch Daniels say something about shelving these BS cultural policies and focus on the econonmy?

Add to this idiocy the Indiana Senate passing a constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage and it's a pretty embarrassing week for my home state.; 3/31/11, 12:22 AM
R.L. Hunter said...: "Women don't make this up"

So the Duke Lacrosse team were actually guilty?; 3/31/11, 12:43 AM
MayBee said...: The women of Indiana must be as special as the good people of Wisconsin.; 3/31/11, 12:45 AM
bagoh20 said...: One thing is certain: The one getting aborted never lies and never rapes. A lot of good that does her.; 3/31/11, 12:54 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: I betchya there are women who could go 20 weeks and not even know they were pregnant.

Wait. 20 weeks is 5 months, right? That seems really late.

Look. If you must abort your fetus that late for whatever reason, then I suppose you must. I wouldn't want to defend the issue. The site 'iconicphotos' ran a post that disturbed me probably permanently. The picture of Gerri Santoro was considered so sensitive by the site owner that he hid the photo behind another click for his post on the subject. And he runs some otherwise very disturbing photos. Learning the history of this issue in the US from that site has conflicted me tremendously.

Again, the comments to the article linked in this post to thinkprogress are worse than uninformative. They only do damage.; 3/31/11, 12:55 AM
Revenant said...: Of course women make up accusations of rape. Even if it made the slightest bit of sense to suppose that rape was the ONE subject people never lie about, there are oodles of documented cases of phony rape accusations.; 3/31/11, 2:09 AM
Anonymous said...: I was wondering why consensual incest always gets the free pass, too.; 3/31/11, 5:05 AM
888 said...: I think that lady needs to visit:

falserapesociety.blogspot.com; 3/31/11, 5:37 AM
Unknown said...: I think we can all agree the state of Indiana should be renamed the state of Idiocy.; 3/31/11, 5:53 AM
The Dude said...: Crystal Gail Mangum always told the truth. Still does.; 3/31/11, 6:57 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: This link makes it sound like abortion is outlawed even in cases where the mother's life is at stake. That is not the case.

Abortions would be illegal after 20 weeks, except to preserve the life of the woman. Current state law prohibits abortions after viability, which is determined by the doctor, usually at about 24 weeks. Ninety-seven percent of abortions in the state occur before 13 weeks, according to Planned Parenthood of Indiana.

And the rape and incest discussion was over insurance:

Turner made the comment while trying to persuade House members to vote down a Democratic amendment that would have allowed certain insurance plans to cover abortion in the case of rape or incest.

More pro abortion rights hysteria.; 3/31/11, 7:01 AM
X said...: Cheryl Fleming
Emma Blunden
Emily Marrill
Nicola Osbourne

4 women in the UK sentenced to prison for false rape allegations in the last 4 months who didn't even need to claim rape to get an abortion. They just made it up for other reasons. My goodness.; 3/31/11, 7:07 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: This link makes it sound like abortion after 20 weeks wouldn't be allowed to save the life of the mother. That is not true.

Abortions would be illegal after 20 weeks, except to preserve the life of the woman.

And the rape issue was about insurance.

While speaking on the bill Wednesday, Turner, the author, apologized for saying during debate Tuesday that a woman might falsely claim she had been raped in order to obtain health coverage for an abortion. Turner made the comment while trying to persuade House members to vote down a Democratic amendment that would have allowed certain insurance plans to cover abortion in the case of rape or incest. Representatives voted down the amendment.

The link in the blog post is badly written pro abortion rights hysteria.; 3/31/11, 7:31 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: Comrade, of course they did. Sakes alive! They're Brits and not fine upstanding women from the great state of Indiana! My goodness!; 3/31/11, 7:33 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: What the hell? Every time I post a link to a news article showing that this Think Progress post is bogus as far as the no exception for the life of the mother goes, Blogger posts it and then eats it.; 3/31/11, 7:34 AM
Curious George said...: So we all can finally agree that Bill Clinton raped Juanita Broaddrick?; 3/31/11, 7:37 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: I will try linking to the page you can print from.

There is a life of the mother exception:

Abortions would be illegal after 20 weeks, except to preserve the life of the woman.

And the rape discussion was about insurance:

While speaking on the bill Wednesday, Turner, the author, apologized for saying during debate Tuesday that a woman might falsely claim she had been raped in order to obtain health coverage for an abortion. Turner made the comment while trying to persuade House members to vote down a Democratic amendment that would have allowed certain insurance plans to cover abortion in the case of rape or incest. Representatives voted down the amendment.; 3/31/11, 7:39 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: It ate it again!

There's a better article about this at the Indy Star that shows the bill does include an exception for the life of the mother and that the rape discussion about was about insurance.

Unfortunately, I cannot link to it because Blogger has decided it is verboten.; 3/31/11, 7:40 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: And now it's making my name look different.

What is going on?; 3/31/11, 7:41 AM
Anonymous said...: I truly can't wrap my head around the idea that someone would seriously think that there's some sort of inability in women to make up rape charges. Does she really believe that, or is she just looking to be outraged? I'm lost. You could just as easily say "men don't rape", and you'd be just as accurate.

- Lyssa; 3/31/11, 7:46 AM
Anonymous said...: Synova said: More important than excepting rape is the seeming need to except "life of the mother" in the bill itself. I don't know how the bill could have made life-saving procedures illegal, and the inclusion of exceptions to the 20 week rule for true medical necessity implies that someone really was going to force women to carry a baby bound to kill them, however often that happens without anyone knowing before 20 weeks that there is a serious problem.

It's usually an issue of high blood pressure or bleeding in the mother. In those cases, they will continue the pregnancy as long as possible, but at some point it often gets to where the mother is at risk of death if the pregnancy continues. (I worked on the case of a woman just recently, 24 years old, perfectly healthy until then, but suffered high BP during the pregnancy which lead to a terrible seizure- she's a vegatable now, and who knows if she'll recover at all.)

When the risk is too great, they deliver the child (usually emergency C) and do what they can to nuture him or her, but often, the lungs are simply too immature. I wouldn't call that an abortion, but effectively, it's not really any different. I have no idea why you would seek an abortion instead of this sort of attempt to save the child, though.; 3/31/11, 7:53 AM
John Althouse Cohen said...: If there are no false accusations of rape, does that mean there shouldn't be a presumption of innocence in rape cases?; 3/31/11, 7:56 AM
bearing said...: "When the risk is too great, they deliver the child (usually emergency C) and do what they can to nuture him or her, but often, the lungs are simply too immature. I wouldn't call that an abortion, but effectively, it's not really any different."

It's very different from the perspective of the doctors performing the procedure.

What does it do to you, when you kill a child on purpose? I'm sure it feels different, does something different to your psyche, than trying to save her and failing.; 3/31/11, 8:03 AM
Michelle Dulak Thomson said...: Has it occurred to anyone that if you talk about the "life of the mother," you're acknowledging that there is a child?; 3/31/11, 8:17 AM
Anonymous said...: It's very different from the perspective of the doctors performing the procedure.

Good point, bearing.; 3/31/11, 8:18 AM
888 said...: "Has it occurred to anyone that if you talk about the "life of the mother," you're acknowledging that there is a child?"

Life of the host.; 3/31/11, 8:33 AM
Anonymous said...: Unfortunately, women do make it up. Ask Tawana Brawley.; 3/31/11, 8:34 AM
Toby said...: Norma McCorvey, AKA Jane Roe, has admitted her claim of rape in the pregnancy that led to Roe v. Wade was false.; 3/31/11, 8:46 AM
TMink said...: I lvoe the comments about how Christians are so stupid but the left says that women are too stupid to not get pregnant.

I for one believe that women are completely capable of not getting pregnant unless that are assaulted.

But then I am a Christian, not a progressive.

Trey; 3/31/11, 8:49 AM
Anonymous said...: I for one believe that women are completely capable of not getting pregnant unless that are assaulted.

One of my extraordinary pet peeves. I've been exercising my "choice" to either a) not risk getting pregnant at all when I couldn't accept the risk or b) limit the risk while accepting that a small risk existed and planning accordingly, since puberty.

I don't think that I'm that much more capable, intelligent, or disciplined than most women.

- Lyssa; 3/31/11, 8:55 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: Google needs to fix its spam filter. My account, including email, was suspended after I tried posting that Indy Star link three times.

So not only is it interfering with the ability to link to non-spam, it is then interfering with the ability to use one's account at all.; 3/31/11, 9:12 AM
DADvocate said...: They do in England and here too. Feminists want us to believe that women never lie about any of this stuff so that they can put any man in jail simply on the word of a female. Feminists try to claim that 100% of domestic violence is committed by men also.; 3/31/11, 9:17 AM
Anonymous said...: "No doubt illegal abortionist have killed women in the past, but probably not in the numbers reported."

Several key people in the abortion-rights movement of the 1960s/1970s have since openly admitted that the numbers of illegal "back alley" abortions claimed in their lobbying were simply made up -- there was no data.

Due to the vast increase in abortions since 1973, there have been far more women die (probably more each year) from unsanitary legal abortion clinics (e.g. see: Gosnell, Kermit) than ever died getting illegal abortions. Not counting, of course, the female 50% or so of the abortees who also died.; 3/31/11, 9:22 AM
Anonymous said...: Lyssa: I don't think that I'm that much more capable, intelligent, or disciplined than most women.

But you might very well be more responsible.

Everyone lies about something at one time or another. Some people, men and women alike, aren't above lying about something extremely serious in order to get themselves out of difficult situations. Our criminal justice system is built upon the assumption that some people lie. The woman who claimed she was raped by the Duke lacrosse players lied. As a previous commenter, Norma McCorvey said she lied about being raped so that Sara Weddington could use her as a plaintiff to overturn the Texas abortion statute. That's why police investigate allegations of rape, like allegations of other criminal acts, rather than just summarily castrating the accused.

I'm no bleeding heart when it comes to the rights of criminals, but I am unequivocal in my belief in due process. It bothers me that so many liberals are willing to waive the presumption of innocence in favor of some sexist Victorian notion of female purity and integrity.; 3/31/11, 9:25 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: I like that this is "an attempt to soften the blow" and not just common sense.

People are weird.

And yes, at this point, I don't think there's anything a woman won't lie about - even in Indiana.

Ann, of course, sees this as a major accomplishment of feminism.; 3/31/11, 9:40 AM
Thorley Winston said...: Is there text of the proposed amendment somewhere?

I think that this is what you’re looking for.

All these recent abortion stories have taught me to be wary of any claim made about proposed legislation if I can't actually look at the text itself, and research how it will play out in its details.

I absolutely agree with this statement and think it applies not only to legislation but also most reporting on court decisions, reports or studies by government agencies or supposed “nonpartisan” (which doesn’t preclude ideological or other bias) organizations, polls and surveys (seeing who was polled, the exact wording of the questions, and the methodology is a must), and a whole array of other things which require either specialized knowledge or doing some research to understand.; 3/31/11, 9:56 AM
paul a'barge said...: Women don't make up stories about Rape?

Really?

Can no one google any more?; 3/31/11, 10:13 AM
former law student said...: I guess not even Hoosier women can be trusted to tell the truth. And this Turner dude is likely a Chinatown fan:

Evelyn: “She’s my daughter.”
[Gittes slaps Evelyn.]
Gittes: “I said I want the truth!”
Evelyn: “She’s my sister. . . .”
[slap]
Evelyn: “She’s my daughter. . . .”
[slap]
Evelyn: “My sister, my daughter.”
[More slaps.]
Gittes: “I said I want the truth!”
Evelyn: “She’s my sister AND my daughter!”; 3/31/11, 11:14 AM
Jeremy said...: Synova - "Oh, they do so."

What percentage of people who are raped do you think just "make it up?"

You're an ignorant asshole.; 3/31/11, 1:31 PM
Jeremy said...: What is it with some of the jerks posting on this topic?

Of course some people make up all kinds of things, but why would any of you believe the insertion of such an option is wrong? Are you also saying that when a child says they were physically or sexually abused we should automatically assume they're just making it up?

And are you saying that there are so many woman who merely "make up" being raped, that those who are actually attacked and raped, should not be excluded from such a law?

Disgusting.; 3/31/11, 1:36 PM
Jeremy said...: Bag o'Shit - "The one getting aborted never lies and never rapes. A lot of good that does her."

You get dumber by the minute.; 3/31/11, 1:39 PM
Jeremy said...: Maguro - "I do like how she added the bit about Indiana. You'd totally expect the bitches in Illinois and Kentucky to invent rape stories, but such a thing couldn't possibly happen in the Hoosier state."

"Bitches?"

Ignorant.; 3/31/11, 1:40 PM
Jeremy said...: This is one ignorant bunch of people commenting on this topic.

Especially the women.; 3/31/11, 1:42 PM
Anonymous said...: "What percentage of people who are raped do you think just "make it up?"

Don't try to pull your tautology trick on us, grasshopper: by definition, people who are raped aren't just making it up. But people who are raped are a subset of the people who claim they are raped.; 3/31/11, 2:01 PM
Jeremy said...: "Somewhere in America, a woman is raped every 2 minutes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice."

But of course, according to the morons here, many of them are just making it all up.; 3/31/11, 2:07 PM
Jeremy said...: craig - Based on many of the ignorant comments here today, I asked a straight question:

"What percentage of people who are raped do you think just "make it up?"

Do you have an estimate or are you just going to regurgitate the same bullshit many of the assholes here are throwing out?

Using the ridiculous claim that there are all kinds of women making up being raped (so they can get an abortion??), to push the far Christian right's anti-abortion drivel, is just plain stupid.

And even as you suck up to your fellow wingnuts here, you know it, too.; 3/31/11, 2:11 PM
Milwaukee said...: Didn't we just have a dust up where Assange had consensual sex with two different women on two different occasions: days later they met, and discovered they had both had been his sex partner. Only then did they decide it had been rape and filed charges. Wasn't that in the news? Or am I dreaming. (Of course, those women weren't from Indiana!) When false charges of rape are aired that denigrates and minimalizes those with legitimate complaints. Women who make false rape claims need to receive the same sentence the man would have gotten, had the rape claim been true.; 3/31/11, 4:53 PM
YoungHegelian said...: @Jeremy,

A quick google shows that there's all kinds of disagreement of the actual numbers of false rape allegations.

You wouldn't think it would be that difficult to quantify, would you?

Since the numbers seemingly aren't being tracked, this shows that there's no follow through against women who make false rape claims, otherwise they'd be in the court stats.

Since there's no legal action against women who make false claims (e.g. Ms Magnum in the Duke case), what disincentive is there for a woman in extremis to not make these claims if they can advance her position vis-a-vis an abortion clinic, a wayward husband, a bastard of a boyfriend, etc?

Do you still think American women are angels of the household? Do you have any other quaint Victorian notions you like to air?; 3/31/11, 5:14 PM
Roberto said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/31/11, 5:48 PM
Roberto said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/31/11, 5:54 PM
Roberto said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/31/11, 5:58 PM
YoungHegelian said...: @Michael,

Please re-read my post and notice who it's directed at --- not you, Jeremy, who was castigating the lot of us for our brutish insensitivity on the question of false rapes charges in general

as for your point, I generally agree with you -- there is little lying about rape to get an abortion. There is no need in most cases to do so, since Roe V Wade gives American women a broad right to abortion services.

If, however, a state restriction passed SCOTUS muster that required women to claim rape in order to get an abortion, and there was no penalty for lying about it, then, yes, women would lie about it all the time.

If a person has a desperate need for something, and all it takes is an unpunished lie to get it, who won't tell the lie?; 3/31/11, 6:06 PM
Synova said...: Typical.

Being given an opportunity for Jeremy to publicly express his high standards of moral virtue trumps truth and reason every time.; 3/31/11, 8:25 PM
Synova said...: It's the notion that we have to pretend that no woman lies about rape in order that true victims will believe that they will be believed when they report the crime. So this "social good" outweighs Truth.

The problem with these sort of cooperative lies is that the opposite happens. Everyone knows there is an agreed upon lie to maintain, which means they know the truth, which means that no victim is going to be persuaded or comforted by the lie we're all supposed to tell.; 3/31/11, 8:34 PM