Thursday, April 3, 2014

Get Your Laws Off My Body

Get Your Laws Off My Body

A friend read that slogan to me, written large in a women's restroom on campus. 

Most women don't even Know they are pregnant at six weeks.  In my state the last clinic providing safe, legal, abortions, even to save a mother's life who already Has children to care for, is being targeted for closure.

The supposedly Supreme Court gets to decide if employers can deny their female workers birth control, NOT abortion, just Birth control!  

Where do these people get such "rights"?  I didn't vote for them.

Take Action Now
Right now, politicians in Alabama are considering the most extreme and restrictive
abortion ban in the country. And if that wasn't bad enough, this bill, which would
ban abortion at just six weeks of pregnancy, is only one part of a sweeping package
of bills aimed at restricting a woman's personal medical decisions.
Add your name to stand with Alabama women
If it becomes law, the proposed six week ban would become the earliest ban and most
extreme ban in the country, with no exceptions for cases of rape and incest. Many
women do not even know they are pregnant at six weeks — something that these Alabama
politicians don't seem to care about. Unfortunately, these politicians aren't the
first to try it. Just last year a federal judge blocked a similar ban passed in North
Dakota because it was blatantly unconstitutional. If passed, this bill would essential
ban all abortions in the state of Alabama.
Pledge to fight against the most extreme abortion ban in the country — take action now
The larger package of restrictions includes other dangerous bills that block access
to reproductive care. There's even a bill that would allow staff at an emergency
room to turn away a woman who is experiencing a miscarriage.
States like Alabama are working to restrict women's health care at an alarming rate. Sign the pledge now to oppose these extreme restrictions
Women in Alabama, and every state, are capable of making their own decisions when
it comes to reproductive health care. It's time for lawmakers to learn that they
cannot put women's health in danger by eliminating abortion.
Thanks for keeping it personal,
Thao Nguyen
Campaign Director
This Is Personal
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Trigger Warning:

  A man who sexually assaulted his  two children under the age of Four was given Parole by a judge who said this wealthy heir "Wouldn't fare well in prison."  Does he not think imprisoning those children with their father/abuser is not "Cruel and all Too Usual Punishment?"  Does he think those children will "fare well" at home?

A wealthy heir was convicted of raping his 3-year-old daughter and sexually abusing
his 19-month-old son.
But the judge gave him only probation, saying he "wouldn't fare well" in prison.
 Demand this judge be removed from the bench.
click here
Click Here

This is hard to stomach--
Robert Richards IV, a wealthy heir to the DuPont fortune, was convicted of raping
his 3-year-old daughter and sexually abusing his 19-month-old son
, crimes he admitted to. But instead of putting this dangerous abuser behind bars,
the
judge shockingly gave him only probation, justifying this by saying Richards "wouldn't
fare well" in prison
.1
What?!
There is so much wrong with this situation it's hard to know where to begin.
The idea that someone's sentencing should be based on their financial position and
the luxuries that they're used to is disgusting.
 But even more importantly, two young survivors of sexual abuse will see no justice,
and a violent pedophile is walking free. The judge in this case, Jan Jurden, is sending
the unbelievable message that
if you've got a trust fund and a powerful family, you are free to do whatever you
want with zero consequences--including raping your children
.
That's not the world we want to live in. And that's not the world survivors of rape
and violence deserve to live in.
Right now, this story is blowing up. As more and more media report on it, the pressure
on Judge Jan Jurden is growing. If we all speak out now while the story is in the
spotlight, we can force Judge Jan Jurden to be removed from the bench for this gross
misrepresentation of justice.
Can you stand up for a 3-year-old survivor and demand Judge Jan Jurden be disrobed? Click here to sign the petition.
Robert Richards IV is the great-grandson of multi-billionaire Irenee DuPont, and
a member of the eighth richest family in America.
2
 He lives off a massive trust fund and doesn't need to work.
3
 Of course, immediately after he was charged with abusing his children, he hired
a top-notch expensive law firm to help him dodge the charges. He even denied that
he was a rapist and abuser.
4
But even the best lawyers couldn't help Richards when he failed a lie-dector test
and
admitted that he had raped his children.5
He accepted a deal and pleaded to fourth-degree rape, a violent felony with a maximum
15-year sentence.
6
 But rather than the max he could have been given,
Judge Jan Jurden chose to let him off with a slap on the wrist.
For raping his children.
Worse, officials tried to hide the case from the public
 after returning Richards to his life in luxury. It wasn't until Richards' former
wife filed a lawsuit that the story came to light.
7
This isn't the first time that money prevails over justice. Just last year, a judge
let off the son of wealthy parents who plowed into a car while driving drunk and
high on drugs, killing four people. The judge gave him probation and sent him home,
saying he wouldn't do time behind bars, because
he suffered from "affluenza"--being too rich to understand right from wrong.8
This kind of preference that lets some people get away with horrific crimes because
of wealth and power can no longer go unchecked. Already, a meager 8% of rape survivors
take their cases to court because of the scrutiny and victim-blaming they are often
subjected to.
9
 But after this ruling, how many people won't report a rape because the abuser is
wealthy and seemingly untouchable?
We need to prove that judges can't get away with favoring wealthy abusers over their
victims simply because the abuser has money and power. Public pressure from 140,000
UltraViolet members helped hold a Montana Judge accountable when he let a teen girl's
rapist off the hook.
10
 And we can do it again. UltraViolet might not have billions of dollars to advocate
for a 3-year-old rape survivor.
But there are 550,000 of us and because of that, we are a force to be reckoned with.
 Let's send the message that we WILL hold Judge Jan Jurden accountable even if she
chose not to hold a rich pedophile accountable.
Can you sign the petition demanding the judge who let the rapist of a 3-year-old go free be removed from the bench? Click here to add your name.
Thanks for taking action.
--Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Karin, Adam, Gabriela, and Holly, the UltraViolet team
Sources:
1.
Report: Judge said duPont heir wouldn't "fare well" in prison
, CBS News, March 31, 2014
2.
America's Richest Families
, Forbes, December 3, 2009
3.
One Percenter Convicted of Raping Child Dodges Jail Because "He Will Not Fare Well,"
 Huffington Post, March 30, 2014
4. Ibid
5. Ibid
6.
DEL CODE § 770 : Delaware Code - Section 770: RAPE IN THE FOURTH DEGREE; CLASS C FELONY
, FindLaw
Delaware Felony Crimes by Class and Sentence
, Criminal Defense Lawyer
7.
Du Pont heir dodged prison for raping 3-year-old daughter after judge ruled he 'would not fare well' behind bars
, NY Daily News, March 31, 2014
8.
Texas rich kid who killed 4 in drunken car crash spared jail
, NY Daily News, December 11, 2013
9.
Reporting Rapes
, Rape Abuse and Incest National Network
10.
Activists Want Montana Judge Removed Over Rape Sentencing
, KRTVQ, September 23, 2013
Baugh to retire, won't file for re-election
, KRTVQ, January 6, 2014
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