Print PDF

“A rape culture is a complex of beliefs that encourages male sexual aggression and supports violence against women. It is a society where violence is seen as sexy and sexuality as violent.

In a rape culture, women perceive a continuum of threatened violence that ranges from sexual remarks to sexual touching to rape itself.

A rape culture condones physical and emotional terrorism against women as the norm.”

Transforming A Rape Culture

by Emily Buchwald, Martha Roth, and Pamela Fletcher (2004)

Still undecided?

Feeling stuck in a “Binder?”

Wake Up — The GOP War on Women is real all right.

Republican Definitions of Rape:

GIFT-FROM-GOD-RAPE

“When life begins with that horrible situation of rape, that is something that God intended to happen.” -Richard Mourdock (R), candidate for Senate in Indiana, on October 23, 2012

“The right approach is to accept this horribly created, in the sense of rape, but nevertheless…a gift of human life, and accept what God is giving to you.” –Rick Santorum (R), Senator and Presidential candidate, on January 20, 2012

“Richard and I, along with millions of Americans…believe that life is a gift from God.” -Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas voicing his support of Richard Mourdock’s statement about rape-induced abortions, on October 24, 2012

LEGITIMATE RAPE

“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” –Republican Congressman & Senate candidate Todd Akin of Missouri on August 20, 2012

HONEST RAPE

“If it’s an honest rape, that individual should go immediately to the emergency room, I would give them a shot of estrogen.” –Republican Congressman & Presidential candidate Ron Paul of Texas on February 3, 2012

EMERGENCY RAPE

“It was an issue about a Catholic church being forced to offer those pills if the person came in in an emergency rape.” –Republican Senate candidate Linda McMahon of Connecticut (also confusing churches with hospitals) on October 15, 2012

EASY RAPE

“If you go down that road, some girls, they rape so easy.” –Republican State Representative Roger Rivard of Wisconsin, on December 21, 2011 and endorsed by VP Candidate Paul Ryan on August 9, 2012

FORCIBLE RAPE

Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Paul Ryan, Todd “legitimate rape” Akin and 214 other Republicans co-sponsored the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act”, which would prohibit federal funding of abortions except in instances of “an act of forcible rape or, if a minor, an act of incest.” -H.R. 3, 112th Congress, January 20, 2011

ENJOYABLE RAPE

“If it’s inevitable, just relax and enjoy it.” –Republican Gubernatorial candidate Clayton Williams of Texas on March 25, 1990

Republicans’ Shocking Positions on Rape and Pregnancy Aren’t Outliers — They’re Central to the GOP Agenda.

See also: Pennsylvania Bill Would Reduce Welfare Benefits For Women Who Cannot Prove They Were Raped

The Atlantic: Richard Mourdock, Mitt Romney and the GOP Defense of Coerced Mating

And VOTE.

(45)