Rape Quotes
There were other factors which Stalin did not mention. There was a major factor of revenge and retaliation. The Germans had killed 22 million Russians (many murdered deliberately), and forced millions of others into slave labor. They had looted everything of value, artistically or commercially from Russian, homes, churches and other buildings. Many of the Russian officers believed that treatment of the Germans was only just given the barbaric behavior of the Germans and applauded by most of the German population.
Goodman is citing the 2003 poll conducted by the pro-choice Center for the Advancement of Women, who found that the majority of women believe abortion should be legal only in three cases -- rape, incest, or danger to the life of the mother.
The Israeli cabinet was discussing an outbreak of assaults on women at night. One minister suggested a nighttime curfew for women:
This proverb which actually has the force of de facto law in much of the Arab world, while detested by many sophisticated Westerners and Americans in particular, was actually a custom in America for many years. Under the principle, a rapist is not a rapist if he marries the girl. A seducer is not a seducer. In the Bedouin culture there is no difference between the rapist and the seducer. The reason that the practice is so hateful is that it assumes that when a woman is raped or seduced the damage is to the woman’s male relatives—to their honor. Therefore, the “crime” can be remedied by marrying the girl and satisfying the male relative’s sense of honor. Then no harm has been done, except of course to the woman who often becomes the double victim, first of the rape or seduction and then of a forced marriage. In modern America the honor of the male relatives has no standing in law, yet even today some judges and prosecutors will go easy on a statutory rapist or worse if he marries the girl and the girls family goes along with the arrangement. The term “shotgun wedding” stems from a time when family members would force the alternative on seducers.
The Irish Catholic Church had covered up the predatory child abuse behavior of many priests. The Vatican did also. At first they denied that priests had molested children. Then when the facts were becoming public, they argued that it was the behavior of an isolated priest here and there. Then they were faced with the fact that there were many priests who were pederasts, and the church castigated the individuals and denied that the Church officials knew what was going on and covered the crimes up, But many high officials of the Church knew that it was happening. They thought that the harm that would be done by loss of faith and trust in priests if the sexual oredation became known would be worse than if they tried to control the problem quietly inside the church. What they were accused of is just what had happened. Even Pope Benedict XVI when he was a mid-level Vatican official had refused to defrock a perverted California priests who the American church officials had wanted to get rid of. Even when the enormity of the abuse had become public, many Catholic officials denied that there was serious, traumatic harm done to the victims. Archbishop Martin was a leader in facing the issue squarely, admitting the behavior and the effect and trying to make amends and change. He was not at all popular for this among the Irish prelates and the Vatican officials, However, he managed to preserve some trust and support for the Chuch which had a major reform task ahead,
This statement is believed by many people who would blame the female victim of rape for the way she dressed. Rape is a heinous felony, and it is never excused by the way the victim dresses. Few who hold this view publicly will state it, but this public statement triggered a set of demonstrations throughout Canada which spread to the United States and Europe. See {623723}.
