Monday, September 15, 2008

Sara's Weekly VAW Reader

In Madison, WI, judges threw out a tape that proved a husband raped his comatose wife because it violated his 4th amendment rights (unreasonable search as seizure). To no surprise there were headlines like: "Court: Cops illegally taped nursing home sex" and "Coma sex gets husband accused of rape." (By the way, the comments on these articles are atrocious.) A comatose person does not have the ability to consent to sex, regardless of the person's marital status. A wedding ring does not give a partner unlimited sexual access to the other. A ring should never imply ownership.

As the Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Sarah Palin charged rape victims for their own rape kits, despite the fact that the Democratic Governor in 2000 passed a bill to change that policy. Dorothy Samuels of The New York Times points out that when Joe Biden wrote the Violence Against Women Act (1994), he included provisions that would make states ineligble for federal funds if they made victims pay. And John McCain voted against it....

A CodePink protester at the Democratic National Convention is forcibly knocked to the ground while the police officer clearly states "Back it up, Bitch." (Trigger Warning)

6th defendent admits role in the rape and torture of Megan Williams.

Taliban kills a top female police officer
which is yet another death in a string of murders of women in Afghanistan.

Violence against women impacts growth and health of infants according to a study in Sweden. To some, this finding is obvious, but to other it raises awareness about the range of effects violence can have for the woman and her family.

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