Barry Hovis is a Republican state representative in Missouri. He is anti-abortion and supported a ban on abortion after eight weeks. To make his case, he expounded on his experience as a police officer informing him that most rapes were not “a gentleman” jumping out of the bushes but were “date rapes or consensual rapes.”
He later rebuked himself, saying he misspoke, but in the moment he said it, Democratic Rep. Raychel Proudie said “There is no such thing as consensual rape” which prompted applause. He did not say he misspoke then, not until there was widespread outrage did he revise his statement. He claimed he had meant to say “date rapes or consensual or rape.” That makes no grammatical sense.
He claimed that being a police officer made him inclined to believe victims. That would make him a very unusual police officer. Less than one in six reported rapes lead to an arrest.
- Washington Post: A GOP lawmaker used the phrase ‘consensual rape’ during abortion debate. He says he misspoke.
- KMBC: Missouri lawmaker’s ‘consensual’ rape remark met with hisses
The Springfield News-Leader
Springfield, Missouri · Saturday, May 18, 2019
