This week’s focus: Rep. Akin and “legitimate rape”

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@Conduru “The inward journey begins
only when you understand clearly,
that anything outside is not going
to give you contentment.” ~ Osho

Some Tweets to Ponder

@WisdomalaCarte “Fear is the wilderland, stepping stones or sinking sand.” ~ Joni Mitchell

@Tamavista “There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving and that’s your own self.” ~ Aldous Huxley

@zebraspolkadots “Creating change happens because we keep making the choice for the change.”

@LillyAnn “Becoming and being are the yin and yang of our lives. One inner one outer. The secret is balance.”

@HealthyPlace “The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are.” ~ Jim Morrison

(Mostly) Linked Tweets

Todd Akin and “legitimate rape”

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@sheelaraja “Does he want legitimate or forcible forgiveness?”

‏@DrKathleenYoung Legitimate takedown: Todd Akin meets the women of the Internet
[SEO: “Over the weekend, Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri saw a chance to follow suit and bullocks up his own Google standing on the eve of an election. Pregnancies from rape, Akin said, are scarce because if ‘it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.'” A recap of reactions from around the Internet.]

@pourmecoffee “Forgive Todd Akin / He accidentally said / What he really thinks” #haiku

@PsychCentral It is Time to Talk About Rape…For the Victims
[SEO: “Notwithstanding the important verbalized medical opinions asserting no solid evidence of reduced pregnancy after rape, the implication for the pregnant rape victim is emotionally and physically dangerous. In addition to whatever care she needs, what she does not need is to question the legitimacy of being raped! No one does.” …

“Society both acknowledges and denies rape. Rape threatens social mores and demands empathy with victims. Accordingly, rape is a crime, but it is one that has been obscured by legal definition, stereotype, gender bias and media hype. Callie Rennison, a criminologist notes, ‘Rape is the only crime in which victims have to explain that they didn’t want to be victimized.'”]

@SarahEOlson2009 Eve Ensler: Dear Mr. Akin, I Want You to Imagine . . .
[SEO: “You used the expression ‘legitimate’ rape as if to imply there were such a thing as ‘illegitimate’ rape. Let me try to explain to you what that does to the minds, hearts and souls of the millions of women on this planet who experience rape. It is a form of re-rape. The underlying assumption of your statement is that women and their experiences are not to be trusted. That their understanding of rape must be qualified by some higher, wiser authority. It delegitimizes and undermines and belittles the horror, invasion, desecration they experienced. It makes them feel as alone and powerless as they did at the moment of rape.” …

“Why don’t you spend your time ending rape rather than redefining it? Spend your energy going after those perpetrators who so easily destroy women rather than parsing out manipulative language that minimizes their destruction. And by the way you’ve just given millions of women a very good reason to make sure you never get elected again, and an insanely good reason to rise.”]

@AngieMacMcA “The female body also has ways of shutting down your whole election @RepToddAkin.”

@SuePeaseBanitt I got pregnant from rape (via @Salon)
[SEO: “At 19 years old, I became an unwilling expert on the topic of rape. I learned about rape’s savagery and its psychological trauma.” At times difficult to read, this woman describes her horror and shame at being raped, which was then compounded a hundred-fold when she discovered she was pregnant.

It happens. It’s asinine and dangerous for Akin to proclaim his bizarre ignorance as truth, especially when his stated goal is to overturn Roe v. Wade. But Akin’s not the only moron in government. “In March, Kansas Rep. Pete DeGraaf said, ‘Women should plan ahead for rape the way he keeps a spare tire.’ A few weeks after that Indiana state Rep. Eric Turner said, ‘Some women might fake being raped in order to get free abortions.'” Save us from self-righteous idiots who wish to legislate our bodies. Don’t re-elect any of them.]

@HealthyPlace Victims of Sexual Abuse: Do They Ever Get Over It?
[This detailed post explores the means and methods of finding recovery from aftermath of sexual abuse, whether it occurred in childhood or as an adult. There are many ways to seek healing; some will work for one person, and not the next. Some people have other issues overlaid, such as religion, or still being in danger of ongoing abuse.

While the post makes the case for recovery being possible, please know it takes time. Sometimes lots of time, and willingness to go places in one’s mind where things have been buried deeply. But however long it takes to find healing, it’s worth it to make the attempt. Recovery creates freedom.]

The Rest of the Best

@HealthyPlace PTSD Definition: The Meaning of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. New Trauma! A PTSD blog
[SEO: This is the first post in a new Healthy Place blog by Michele Rosenthal titled “Trauma! A PTSD Blog”. I’ve often tweeted Michele’s work at her own website Heal My PTSD. She developed PTSD at age 13 when a highly unusual drug reaction resulted in a full-body burn response. Her body healed, but she struggled with PTSD symptoms for the next 24 years. She’s written extensively about her experiences and methods for healing. Highly recommended!]

@NAMIMass 3 Self-Care Strategies to Transform Your Life
[SEO: This post makes the case that in taking better care of yourself, not only do you benefit, but it radiates outward to the other people in your life. The activities discussed cover the following three areas in relation to self-care: (1) discover when, where, why and how you feel deprived; (2) find your own rhythm and routine; and (3) create an “absolute no list.”

As Cheryl Richardson writes in her book The Art of Extreme Self-Care: Transform Your Life One Month at a Time, “…through self-care, ‘We become conscious and conscientious people. We tell the truth. We make choices from a place of love and compassion instead of guilt and obligation.'”]