Ladies, Start Your Engines (and Buy Your Policies!)

Some days, I am just ashamed.

The debate over abortion, at a fever pitch since the epic Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973, finds many people of good will and sincere convictions on opposite sides of the struggle.

Opponents of the current law of the land -- which guarantees women safe access to medical services regarding termination of their pregnancies -- speak justifiably and passionately about protecting the rights of unborn children. Supporters of the law speak just as passionately about the rights a woman has to the use of her own body. Among the terms used to describe these two points-of-view, the most common seem to be "pro-life" and "pro-choice."

One of the most intense points of conflict in the whole discussion revolves around the "special circumstances" of rape and incest. Should a woman be required to carry to term a child that was produced by an act of violence or familial abuse?

"Pro-lifers" vary on their response to this question, but the most avid among them assert that there is never an instance in which a woman and/or her medical caregivers should terminate a pregnancy. This position almost always carries with it some form of injunction invoking the name of God and phrases such as, "All life is precious."

Personally, I find compelling arguments on both sides of this debate -- though I must admit that I cannot truly understand forcing a woman to bear a child produced by such an act of aggression and evil. Two wrongs still don't make a right, even when egg meets sperm.

But a true low, in my opinion, was reached this week in the Kansas state legislature, where one of the nation's most restrictive abortion bills was passed and sent to the desk of Gov. Sam Brownback for his signature. I wholeheartedly support the right of the citizens of Kansas, through their elected representatives, to pass such legislation.

After all, if I were a citizen of Kansas and I didn't like it, I could move somewhere else, right?

Rather, it is an exchange from the floor of the Kansas House of Representatives, reported by the Associated Press (read the story here) that has turned my stomach and caused me to hang my head lower than Tom Dooley's.

Here are the words of Reps. Barbara Bollier and Pete DeGraaf:

Rep. Barbara Bollier, a Mission Hills Republican who supports abortion rights, questioned whether women would buy abortion-only policies long before they have crisis or unwanted pregnancies or are rape victims.


During the House's debate, Rep. Pete DeGraaf, a Mulvane Republican who supports the bill, told her: "We do need to plan ahead, don't we, in life?"

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 a spare tire on my car." 

"I also have life insurance," he added. "I have a lot of things that I plan ahead for."

DeGraaf is not only an avid pro-life supporter, he is reportedly an associate pastor at a Kansas church. I wonder if he will preach a sermon soon entitled, "Planning Ahead for Life's Little Uncertainties -- LIKE RAPE!"

May God have mercy on the victims of sexual conquest and abuse in all places and at all times.