Page 2 - aruba-today-20220926
P. 2

A2   UP FRONT
                Monday 26 SepteMber 2022
            Continued from Front                                                                                                clear rape test kit backlogs,
            A  year  since  Texas’  law                                                                                         a law signed in June aimed
            went into effect in Septem-                                                                                         at  coordinating  and  ex-
            ber 2021, at least a dozen                                                                                          panding  sexual  assault  re-
            states also have bans that                                                                                          sources and a task force his
            make no exceptions in cas-                                                                                          office  launched  in  2019  to
            es of rape or incest.                                                                                               address the issue.
            The  absence  of  excep-                                                                                              “To  prevent  such  heinous
            tions  has  caused  divisions                                                                                       crimes  before  they  hap-
            among  Republicans,  in-                                                                                            pen, and to prosecute any
            cluding  in  West  Virginia,                                                                                        criminals to the full extent of
            where  a  new  law  signed                                                                                          the  law,  Governor  Abbott
            this  month  allows  a  brief                                                                                       has  aggressively  fought
            window for rape and incest                                                                                          against  defunding  the  po-
            victims to obtain abortions                                                                                         lice and led bail reform ef-
            only  if  they  report  to  law                                                                                     forts to prevent the release
            enforcement first. Recently,                                                                                        of  dangerous  criminals,”
            South Carolina Republicans                                                                                          Eze said in a statement.
            scuttled  a  proposed  ban                                                                                          More  than  14,000  rape
            after failing to get enough                                                                                         crimes have been reported
            GOP support.                                                                                                        in Texas since the law took
             “It really disgusts me,” said   Evidence tape is seen with a Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit in an examination room,   effect last year, according
            Republican South Carolina    Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, in Austin, Texas.                                            to data from the Texas De-
            state  Sen.  Katrina  Shealy,                                                                                       partment  of  Public  Safety.
            ripping  into  her  male  col-  tions  under  the  proposed  mediately  backing  it,  re-  turned  Roe  v.  Wade  this  That was slightly down from
            leagues on the floor of the  national  abortion  ban  he  flecting  how  Republicans  summer.                       the year before and consis-
            state Senate.                introduced  last  week.  The  have  broadly  struggled  to  Overwhelming   majorities  tent with a decline in other
            Republican  U.S.  Sen.  Lind-  proposal  has  virtually  no  navigate the issue of abor-  of  voters  think  their  state  violent crime figures across
            sey Graham, also of South  chance  of  passing,  with  tion  with  voters  since  the  should   generally   allow  the  state.  Crisis  centers  in
            Carolina,  allowed  excep-   even  GOP  leaders  not  im-  U.S.  Supreme  Court  over-  abortion  in  specific  cases,  Texas  say  the  number  of
                                                                                                   including  rape,  incest  or  if  rape  victims  they’ve  ac-
                                                                                                   the health of the pregnant  companied to hospitals for
                                                                                                   person   is   endangered.  exams  is  rebounding  since
                                                                                                   Even Republicans are see-    the  pandemic  restrictions
                                                                                                   ing  it  as  a  line  with  some  kept advocates from enter-
                                                                                                   voters.                      ing. The Women’s Center in
                                                                                                    “It’s a very gray issue,” said  Fort Worth has made more
                                                                                                   Claudia  Alcazar,  the  GOP  than  650  visits  to  counsel
                                                                                                   chairwoman in Starr Coun-    victims  undergoing  exams
                                                                                                   ty  along  the  Texas-Mexico  in the past year compared
                                                                                                   border that has become a  to  about  340  in  the  year
                                                                                                   new  political  battleground  prior, said Alisha Mathenia,
                                                                                                   after  Republicans  made  the assistant director of cri-
                                                                                                   big  gains  with  more  con-  sis services at the center.
                                                                                                   servative Hispanic voters in  The  majority  of  sexual  as-
                                                                                                   2020.                        saults are never reported to
                                                                                                   She  said  she  knows  those  police,  making  any  avail-
                                                                                                   who  are  “hardcore,  nev-   able  data  an  incomplete
                                                                                                   er  have  abortion  for  any  picture. And about 8 out of
                                                                                                   reason,  period.  And  then  10 sexual assaults are com-
                                                                                                   I have the other ones that  mitted by a person known
                                                                                                   are like, ‘Well, you know, it  to the victim, according to
                                                                                                   depends.’”                   the  Rape,  Abuse  &  Incest
                                                                                                   In Texas, the blowback was  National Network.
                                                                                                   swift when Abbott said last    “We’re  not  talking  about
                                                                                                   September: “Texas will work  a  large  of  number  of  rap-
                                                                                                   tirelessly to make sure that  ists  walking  around  on  the
                                                                                                   we eliminate all rapists from  street. That’s a myth,” said
                                                                                                   the  streets.”  Critics  called  Democrat Donna Howard,
                                                                                                   it  detached  from  reality.  a  state  representative  in
                                                                                                   A  sexual  assault  hotline  in  Austin  who  co-authored
                                                                                                   Houston  has  answered  al-  the  bill  creating  Abbott’s
                                                                                                   most  4,800  calls  through  task force.
                                                                                                   August this year — putting  At The SAFE Alliance in Aus-
                                                                                                   it  on  track  to  exceed  last  tin,  where  sexual  assault
                                                                                                   year’s volume of 4,843.      victims can get exams and
                                                                                                   As of this summer, all abor-  medical  care  at  its  Eloise
                                                                                                   tions were banned in Texas  House,  senior  director  Juli-
                                                                                                   except  if  it  would  save  a  ana  Gonzales  said  it’s  ad-
                                                                                                   mother’s life.               mirable  for  Texas  to  work
                                                                                                   Asked  what  Abbott  has  on  rape  prevention.  “But  I
                                                                                                   done  in  the  past  year  to  also  think  it’s  important  for
                                                                                                   eliminate  rape,  spokes-    the state to live in the real-
                                                                                                   woman  Renae  Eze  high-     ity that we have to respond
                                                                                                   lighted  older  measures  to  to sexual assault,” she said.
   1   2   3   4   5   6   7