SPOUSAL RAPE SHOULD NOT BE A CRIME

Dear Keith,

Mother Jones magazine just published a major exposé: A candidate for Congress in Virginia thinks that spousal rape should not be a crime.¹ Yes, really.

His name is Richard Black, and he's currently a state senator. When Virginia voted to allow spouses to be prosecuted for rape, Black opposed it and questioned whether marital rape is even possible, saying "when they're living together, sleeping in the same bed, she's in a nightie, and so forth."

This is outrageous and unacceptable, and these revelations need a loud response right away. It's about more than one extremist candidate--we have a problem with rape in our politics. No one can forget Todd "Legitimate Rape" Akin, but the fact is that Congress is debating a bill right now that would force women who sought abortions after a rape to report it to the IRS.² And extreme conservatives in Congress tried to redefine rape to make it harder for women to receive health care services two years ago.³

When candidates for public office aren't met with the outrage they deserve for their offensive and incredibly dangerous comments, it only emboldens them to push radical anti-woman policies once they are in office. We can change that cycle by speaking out today.

Women are not property. Marital rape is a crime and a very serious instance of domestic violence. And it is a shame that we have to make these things clear in 2014.Can you sign the petition to the National Republican Campaign Committee asking them to denounce Richard Black?

Add your name to the petition.

Black is trying to reinvent himself and earn a reputation as a fiscal conservative instead of a lightening rod on social issues. His comments on marital rape date back several years, but his record is chock-full of dangerous anti-woman politics.⁴ Here are a few highlights:

• Black is a retired military prosecutor who thinks military rape is "as predictable as human nature." He once told a newspaper, "Think of yourself at 25,... Wouldn't you love to have a group of 19-year-old girls under your control, day in, day out?"
• Black is opposed to emergency contraception, calling it "baby pesticide."
• He has repeatedly introduced legislation requiring women younger than 18 to provide a notarized note from a parent before having an abortion. He even said that abortion is more evil than slavery.

His record is appalling. His views on rape are downright dangerous and inhumane, and we have to speak out. The National Republican Campaign Committee knows that women voters are critical to success. They have to hear that this is the wrong way to attract them.

Click here to sign.

Thanks for speaking out.

--Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Karin, Malinda, Adam, and Gabriela, the UltraViolet team

Sources:

1. GOP Congressional Candidate: Spousal Rape Shouldn't Be a Crime, Mother Jones, January 15, 2014

2. All-Male Congressional Committee Considers Imposing Far-Reaching Abortion Restrictions, ThinkProgress, January 9, 2014

3. House GOP Unanimously Passes Anti-Abortion Bill That Redefines Rape, Raises Taxes, And Creates Rape Audits, ThinkProgress, May 4, 2011

4. GOP Congressional Candidate: Spousal Rape Shouldn't Be a Crime, Mother Jones, January 15, 2014