The Rape Case of the Ten-Year-Old in Ohio Proves How Untenable the Republican Abortion Laws Are

 --P.S. White

The rape of a ten-year-old girl in Ohio resulting in pregnancy (which the Republicans have finally accepted a true), proves just how untenable the draconian abortion laws are being pushed through many states.  To force a victim of rape to follow through with any pregnancy that results is unconscionable, especially considering that the Republicans have done next to nothing to put in place social programs to help these women.  To insist that a ten-year-old is wrong to get an abortion highlights this and emphasizes the extreme stance of the GOP and the fact that this is about pushing a narrow, regressive, religious agenda and not about protecting lives.

For a young girl to be in this position to begin with is horrendous, but unlike Governor Abbot of Texas claimed, there is no realistic way to eliminate rape (and to my knowledge he has done nothing to follow up on his dubious promise).  There are plenty of ways to deal with the aftermath of this crime, though, and allowing for abortion should definitely be an option open to the woman.  But many of the Republican abortion laws being passed in GOP-led states take this off the table.  

I have already discussed how these laws are about pushing a narrow and unpopular right wing agenda on the nation with little concern for the health and safety of the child (or the mother it would appear).  This case shows just how dangerous it is to allow these extremist views to be codified by laws that are sexist, discriminatory, and harmful.  

And more repercussions are on the way.  Texas hospitals are refusing to see women with pregnancy complications because of fears of violating the laws put in place in that state. This will become more common in other states passing these laws which subverts the original idea of protecting the child's life.

Republicans continue to ignore this and as they make the laws harsher and harsher while at the same time failing to put in place any sort of legislation to help the mothers get through childbirth and support the child afterward.

And expect them to pivot on the Ohio case and redirect attention to the child's alleged rapist who is an illegal immigrant.  They will use this to turn attention away from the draconian abortion laws and to justify Donald Trump's racist lie that illegal immigrants are coming across the border to rape American citizens.  

But the sad fact is that more cases like the one in Ohio will occur, making women not just the victim of crime but also the regressive, puritanical laws that strip them of the choices they should have.  The Republicans do not represent the majority of this country, and their extreme right wing views are both destructive and devise and should not be allowed to control this country.  We must stand against them in protest, in the polls, and in our daily words and actions.  If we unite against this threat, we can peacefully cast it away by organizing and making others aware of the dangers it presents to our democracy and by voting for more acceptable candidates that better represent this country.  But we must remain vigilant and active lest this extremism will overtake our country.