Matthew Abely (The Beacon)
By Matthew Abely, Guest Commentary
Want to be pro-life and pro-choice?
Do not rape people. Do not in any way, shape or form support and/or validate rapists' existences.
This may seem incredibly obvious, but I am not sure the full ramifications of these moral prescriptions are fully understood. I did not understand them myself for the longest time. I have learned much and owe much to many people, especially after the recent abortion panel that took place this past Monday. If I may be so bold, I would like to impart some of their wisdom. Be warned though: the truth hurts.
If you have sex with anyone who has given you anything less than an enthusiastic "yes," you are supporting rapists. It does not matter what they are wearing, if they happen not to be a virgin, if they are flirtatious or your spouse or your boy/girlfriend, an enthusiastic "yes" and nothing less equals consent. An intoxicated "yes" means "no."
If you make rape jokes or use the word "rape" to mean anything besides the brutal violation of a person involving genitalia, you are morally validating rape.If you shame people for being fat, transgender, gender queer, promiscuous or flirtatious, you support rapists. If you say or think gay men are gross, but that any sex-related act between fit, gay women is "hot," you support consent violation, and so supporting rape.
If you think there is nothing wrong with pornography, you support rapists. If you think there is nothing wrong with the way most media portrays women, the way they portray white straight fit women verses all other women, you support rape.
If you have ever tried to defend an assailant of sexual assault, domestic violence, or anything someone claims is harassment on the grounds that they were "just being a man," you support rape.If you cheat and commit adultery for that reason, you also support rape. If you have ever said that the solution to rape is for women to just travel in packs or to stop being silent, you are validating rapists' existence. If you have ever wanted to keep incidents of rape private to save an institution or organization's reputation, you support rape.
All of this validates rapists' existence because implies that men are predators and women are prey.
That one rape joke may not seem like a big deal, but it adds to the harmony of every other rape joke being told. Rapists hear these and believe there is nothing wrong with the way they interact with others. This can be said of every action above.
If you really want to be pro-choice and pro-life, do not do any of the above. Rapists can and do impregnate women, often purposefully so. Never doubt this.
