It was interesting for me to read about Bill Napoli's
"Sodomized Virgin Exception".
I will put aside the obvious Freudian implications and other
aspects of the man's character for a bit, absorbing as they may be. There
are other aspects to this angle. For me, the mention of rape
within the abortion debate brings up another thought. Abortion and rape
are social issues that share more than the occasional causal relationship.
From a perspective of human rights, they are both about dominion.
As a male, when I see a beautiful woman, I am within my rights to have
an opinion about her body. I may have thoughts about the
fantastically pleasurable things I might want to do to her body - my
rights even include harboring such opinions. Men are generally highly
opinionated like that.
Fortunately, we live in a society where it is
pretty clear that my opinion on these matters of a woman's body have
absolutely zero weight. If her opinion clashes with mine, the
only right I have is to really regret that. Exercising my opinion
regardless of her will is what is called rape and, evidently, even
staunch Republicans like Mr. Napoli agree that such dominion should
be severely punished.
As a male, confronted with a woman who wants to have an abortion, I
am again within my rights to have an opinion about her body. It
may be a strong opinion. I have the right to believe that, if she has
the abortion, she will dine
with Satan before the day is past and that it will rain locusts on my lawn.
But that is where it ends, isn't
it? Forcing that woman to be an incubator against her will
is, in my book, exactly the same kind of dominion.
I've never dealt with an abortion in my life, so I really don't know
how I would feel when someone close to me was facing this
decision, but I do know exactly whose decision it is. Resenting that
choice would be as pitiful as resenting not getting any; Both are
outside my realm of control as a well-adjusted and civil person.
Mr. Napoli, with his eloquently worded fantasy scenario, does not
strike me as a civil person in this respect, nor does he sound well-adjusted.