We interrupt this fitness blog for a post about politics.
No! Don’t leave! It’s really not about politics. Even though I work in Washington, D.C., I think that politics are one of those things that you shouldn’t discuss in polite company. We all have our opinions, we are all entitled to those opinions, and we have the right to vote for whoever we want to. I just think that too often, discussion of politics leads to arguments and anger. So I choose to avoid the conversations.
But back to the subject at hand.
As you probably know, this past Sunday, Missouri Senator Todd Akin made a fairly surprising remark on the St. Louis Fox affiliate.
Well you know, people always want to try to make that as one of those things, well how do you, how do you slice this particularly tough sort of ethical question. First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child.
Again, I’m not here to discuss politics or issues of Pro-Life versus Pro-Choice. And I have other issues with how he phrased his comment. But that’s not the point.
What shocked me is that this man, this educated man who attended a well-respected private school in St. Louis before going on to receive Bachelor and Masters degrees, somehow failed to learn how the female reproductive system works.
Now, I know. A lot of guys like to wave their hands at a woman’s midsection and refer to it as “all that stuff in there.” But come on, how did you not learn how conception works? I attended Catholic school from preschool through law school, and I learned. There is no alarm system that goes off that says “Alert! Alert! These sperm are enemies! Close the gates!”
And then I learned that Todd Akin isn’t alone in this belief.
Apparently, this is a common belief, based on an apparently flawed paper from the 1970’s. I find this horrifyingly shocking that so many people have no idea how conception works. Shouldn’t we teach our kids this fairly important subject?
I understand that some parents don’t want sex ed in the schools. They would prefer to teach it at home. I have no problem with that, if it’s actually taught. But at some point, we should all understand basic biology. Otherwise, our educational system is failing.
If you hear something that just doesn’t make sense, like some magical way women can prevent pregnancy, do your research. There is this wonderful thing called the internet and you can look up anything you want. Use reputable sources. Find out the truth. Educate yourself.
(As an aside, in reading about this subject, I also learned that rapists can later get custody of a child born of rape. Amazing, and definitely worth the read if you’re interested.)
I was floored when I read the other day that rapists can get child rights in over 30 states.
I’ve heard the gist of Akin’s argument many times before, including several times by people educated at our shared alma mater. I think, unfortunately, it is not so much a lack of education or even common sense but an attempt to support a particular position at any cost that creates a willingness to latch on to any reason, howevet outlandish, that deals with the tough stuff and supplies a simple answer.