New Mexico Republican lawmaker writes bill that would make it illegal for rape victims to terminate pregnancy, calling it "destroying evidence of the crime." No, I am NOT kidding!

Rep. Cathrynn "I know nothing about rape: Brown.

Courtesy of HufPo:  

A Republican lawmaker in New Mexico introduced a bill on Wednesday that would legally require victims of rape to carry their pregnancies to term in order to use the fetus as evidence for a sexual assault trial. 

House Bill 206, introduced by state Rep. Cathrynn Brown (R), would charge a rape victim who ended her pregnancy with a third-degree felony for "tampering with evidence." 

“Tampering with evidence shall include procuring or facilitating an abortion, or compelling or coercing another to obtain an abortion, of a fetus that is the result of criminal sexual penetration or incest with the intent to destroy evidence of the crime," the bill says. 

Third-degree felonies in New Mexico carry a sentence of up to three years in prison. 

Pat Davis of ProgressNow New Mexico, a progressive nonprofit opposing the bill, called it "blatantly unconstitutional" on Thursday. 

“The bill turns victims of rape and incest into felons and forces them to become incubators of evidence for the state,” he said. “According to Republican philosophy, victims who are ‘legitimately raped’ will now have to carry the fetus to term in order to prove their case.“

You know I think the part of this that bothers me the most is that it is being introduced by a woman! How is that even possible?

First off this is a completely naked attempt to  an anti-abortion bill while cloaking it in the most transparent covering of an pro-law enforcement bill, and I truly doubt that too many people in New Mexico are confused about that.

However the other thing is that THIS is what Rape Kits are for. If used properly they can identify the rapist using the DNA he would leave behind and as humiliating as it is for a woman to go through that process it is infinitely better than forcing her to give birth to her rapist's child.

You know I often ask myself if the Republican party is a party completely without compassion or self awareness, ans when I read stories like this one the the answer to that question becomes all too obvious.