“I’ve even known some women who have been raped.”

A SYTYCB entry

After suggesting that women who have experienced “legitimate rape” have “ways to try to shut that whole thing [pregnancy] down,” Todd Akin donated another gem to Claire McCaskill’s Senate campaign:

“I’ve even known some women who have been raped and it’s a terrible, terrible thing.”

The scary truth is that we all know someone who has been raped. Rape survivors are not rare. Almost 15% of American women have been the victims of a completed rape, and 18% the victim of an attempt, with higher numbers for minorities, especially mixed-race women. At least 3% of men have experienced a rape attempt.

The worst part is that it’s the fault of people like Representative Akin that rape may seem so infrequent to some. Survivors don’t report rape – approximately 46% of rapes go unreported – because they’re afraid no one will believe it’s “legitimate” (and, in fact, only a quarter of reports lead to an arrest). We sometimes don’t know ourselves if the experience is “legitimate” because our understanding of consent has been diluted by constant slut-shaming. Maybe it’s my fault because I drank too much; maybe my skirt was too short. Maybe I shouldn’t have been traveling alone in a foreign country. Maybe I shouldn’t have danced with him.  Maybe I shouldn’t have let him walk me home.

I have heard all of these responses – every last one – from friends.

At least 18% of women are rape victims, and yet, somehow, a statement like Akin’s doesn’t come as a surprise. None of the women I know who have been raped reported it. None have been able to talk about it without experiencing shame. When Representative Akin uses language that keeps these women from coming forward, we shouldn’t be particularly shocked when he has no understanding of how frequently rape actually occurs. And we certainly shouldn’t be surprised when he uses his friends as political tokens, as if Akin can wear rape survivors like a medal to highlight his pro-women credentials.

The real tragedy, though, is not just that Representative Akin thinks he’s a good guy for knowing women who have been raped – it’s that he represents Missouri residents who have been raped, or who are at risk of being raped (that’s 100% of the population, if you’re counting). We can help make sure the entire state of Missouri knows that they have another option.