by Dolores M. Klein, Peoria, IL

A few years ago we could discuss local and national issues on local radio talk shows. I recall a highly exasperated woman calling in, complaining that we were always talking about rape: “Is nothing sacred?” She evidently grew up when words like pregnancy, sex, and rape were whispered, and certainly not in the presence of children. (Yes, she actually said that!)

Today, far-right elected officials utter outrageous comments and ignorant-beyond-belief statements, keeping “those words” in headlines. When contraception was the top story, a politician laughingly said that when he was young, girls “put an aspirin between their knees.” Then, a self-appointed medical expert said that a woman’s body would reject conception if she was raped. Another used the term “legitimate rape.”

All this nuttiness in the wake of excluding rape from the exception in the barrage of laws, intending to legislate Roe v Wade out of existence.

Now, they restate a long-standing argument: very few abortions are performed because of rape. The only real statistic is that very few rapes are reported.

Reasoning is not their strong suit. If it was, they’d realize that acquaintance rape and marital rape are facts of women’s lives. A woman can seek an abortion legally (as of now) without giving her reason for it. There can be no such statistic.

Since I’ve put those words out there again, let’s remember that pro-choice is NOT pro-abortion and IS pro-life. We all should concentrate on making abortion an unnecessary decision.