Re-Think Rape
“Re-Think Rape”
When three Duke Lacrosse players were accused of raping a professional stripper back in 2006, the community was outraged. Not at the fact that three men had allegedly raped a stripper but because the boys were suspended by the University (Bauer). With a well-known sports driven school, a stripper’s word held very little against that of a well-liked group of close knit teammates (Bauer). The players eventually were acquitted of all charges. Many times when a woman reports a rape she is disbelieved or questioned as if she was “asking for it.” When the time comes for a trial and the jury reaches a guilty verdict, rapists are given consequences that sometimes do not fit the crime. Many receive little jail time and are soon free to repeat the horrific act. Victims of rape deserve better treatment overall and rapists need to have consequences that fit the severity of their crime. In order to accomplish these terms the outlook on rape needs to be taken much more seriously with the public being informed with the correct knowledge. In Deuteronomy 22:28-29, the bible states: “If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay her father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.” A law that bares striking similarity to this passage is what led sixteen-year-old Aminal Filali to ingest rat poison thus ending her life (Reinhart). Many people take to the heart the messages that the bible spreads and end up living a conservative Christian life. While being able to choose how to live your life is a blessing, the sometimes absolute ignorance of some is not. Republican Todd Akin once outraged part of the nation by proclaiming “If it’s legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try and shut that whole thing down.” (Reinhart) How are we still living in a world where politicians do not have the correct knowledge
When three Duke Lacrosse players were accused of raping a professional stripper back in 2006, the community was outraged. Not at the fact that three men had allegedly raped a stripper but because the boys were suspended by the University (Bauer). With a well-known sports driven school, a stripper’s word held very little against that of a well-liked group of close knit teammates (Bauer). The players eventually were acquitted of all charges. Many times when a woman reports a rape she is disbelieved or questioned as if she was “asking for it.” When the time comes for a trial and the jury reaches a guilty verdict, rapists are given consequences that sometimes do not fit the crime. Many receive little jail time and are soon free to repeat the horrific act. Victims of rape deserve better treatment overall and rapists need to have consequences that fit the severity of their crime. In order to accomplish these terms the outlook on rape needs to be taken much more seriously with the public being informed with the correct knowledge. In Deuteronomy 22:28-29, the bible states: “If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay her father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.” A law that bares striking similarity to this passage is what led sixteen-year-old Aminal Filali to ingest rat poison thus ending her life (Reinhart). Many people take to the heart the messages that the bible spreads and end up living a conservative Christian life. While being able to choose how to live your life is a blessing, the sometimes absolute ignorance of some is not. Republican Todd Akin once outraged part of the nation by proclaiming “If it’s legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try and shut that whole thing down.” (Reinhart) How are we still living in a world where politicians do not have the correct knowledge
Cited: Bauer, Jessica. "Campus Culture Allows Rape to Go Unpunished." Date Rape. Ed. Mary E. Williams. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998. At Issue. Rpt. from "Duke Rape Case Hits Raw Nerve." ReadingEagle.com. 2006. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 July 2013. Kilmartin, Christopher. "Changing Male Attitudes Reduces Sexual Violence." Violence against Women. Ed. James D. Torr. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Editorial: Men 's Violence against Women." The Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity (SPSMM) Bulletin 10 (Spring 2006).Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 July 2013. Reinhart, Morgan. "What God has brought Together: 'Legitimate Rape ' in the Bible." The Humanist Nov.-Dec. 2012: 8+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 July 2013. Office for Victims of Crime. "Rape Is a Serious Problem for Women." Violence against Women. Ed. James D. Torr. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Rape and Sexual Assault." 2006 Resource Guide for National Crime Victims ' Rights Week. 2006. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 July 2013. Overholser, Geneva. "The Media Should Publish the Names of both Accuser and Accused in Rape Cases." Media Ethics. Ed. Julia Bauder. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Name the Accuser and the Accused." Poynter Online. 2003. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 July 2013. Shanahan, Emily C. "Stranger and Nonstranger Rape: One Crime, One Penalty." American Criminal Law Review Fall 1999: 1371. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 July 2013.