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Rape Culture

822: Robert Karnes

Cajsa LilliehookLeave a comment

Robert Karnes is a state senator in West Virginia where he stands out as the most extreme of anti-choice extremists. He also has bizarre opinions on rape, opinions that harm women and perpetuate a culture that accepts and tolerates rape, even rape of children.

To give a couple examples, during a debate about addressing the marital exemption on prosecuting rape, Karnes said, “You want to make it a crime to do inside of a marriage what would be a crime outside of a marriage, even though married partners assume because it’s part of the implied contract of marriage that those things are going to be ok.” No, Senator Karnes, marriage vows are not permission to rape.

He also has some bizarre views on child molestation. Sen. Karnes opposed a rape and incest exception to an abortion ban because he seems to think the rapist will pressure them to abort to get rid of the evidence. He also seems to think that since child victims of pedophiles are groomed to think there is a relationship, then they should not be allowed to get an abortion because they don’t think of it as rape when it’s happening. “You know the dynamic in these relationships quite often is that the child has a very romanticized view of what’s happening. … They think that this is their boyfriend,” he said.

Robert Karnes protects marital rape
Robert Karnes think because child victims of pedophiles think they’re in love, well then it’s not rape.
March 9, 2023 | Register-Herald, The (Beckley, WV) | J. Damon Cain columnist But of course, on yet another head-scratching day more remarkable than all of the others, which is saying something of this Legislature, the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday defeated a bill establishing 18 as the legal age of consent and marriage in West Virginia. And, of course, keeping child brides a viable alternative for older men was not the only item on the "to do" agenda of these older men, whose legislative intent – by all appearances – is to maintain ugly social remnants of the past in the here and now. With two full days left in the 60-day session, perhaps the supermajority of Republicans, feeling excitement swelling to swing the status quo further back in time, can bring back Jim Crow laws, outlaw interracial marriage and do away with child labor laws so that coal barons can send children back into the mines – all in the name of economic development and jobs, jobs, jobs. They might even be able to deny civil rights to certain citizens, like say those in the LGBTQ+ community. Oh, wait. In the name of religious freedom, which is just another name for discrimination, they did that. You think I kid, I know, and I'd like to rise above being facetious. But the very same Senate committee on the very same day killed an amendment to eliminate "spousal exemption" from the criminal code, in essence making the rape of a spouse legal in good ol' West Virginia. Sen. Robert Karnes, R-Randolph, suggested that forced sexual contact in marriage is just a benefit to being married. Yes, he did. But this is not the first time Karnes' carnal instincts have run counter to common decency. Earlier this year, Karnes railed against exemptions to West Virginia's abortion ban for rape and incest victims because he believed child rape victims often "romanticize" their adult abusers. Ladies and gentlemen, Karnes is one fine example of why West Virginia is stuck up to its cultural axles in the past and can't get out of the ditch.
March 9, 2023 | Register-Herald, The (Beckley, WV)
So it should come as no small wonder that this Legislature struggles mightily with the responsibility of protecting our most vulnerable populations, especially our children. Let me be clear: Child marriage is linked to child abuse and human trafficking. Girls who are poor, lack education and live in rural areas – sound like anyone you know? – are more likely to enter into an underage marriage. We all know – or should – that West Virginia's high child poverty rate is one of the country's highest, and much of that is because of a lack of education and a rural landscape contributing to their vulnerabilities. Often, they seek security in marriage. Is anyone surprised that, according to the Pew Research Center, West Virginia had the highest rate of child marriages across the U.S. in 2014, when the state's five-year average was 7.1 marriages for every 1,000 children ages 15 to 17? So while we appreciate personal testimony from committee senators waxing nostalgic about their parents getting hitched at an exceptionally young age, fine, but this ain't about them – as they always try to make it. This is about child brides in the U.S. who as a group are 50 percent more likely to drop out of high school and much more likely to end up in poverty, girls who are at an increased risk for psychiatric disorders and their marriages likely to end in divorce. If for once we could get our legislators to turn their attention to the hard scrabble conditions and unfortunate outcomes too many people in West Virginia face, maybe, just maybe, we could change the score. And on that note, perhaps there is a saving grace. The child marriage ban, thought to be dead after the Wednesday committee vote, was resurrected and will get a vote by the full Senate Friday morning. I am guessing it passes – despite whatever fantasy Sen. Karnes is entertaining. Copyright 2023, Register-Herald, The / CNHI, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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