The Real War on a Woman’s Right to Choose

We wrote here about an astonishing moment of insensitivity on the part of a Democratic member of Colorado’s legislature:

A young woman named Amanda Collins mustered the courage to testify before a Colorado legislative committee on that state’s proposed gun ban legislation. Ms. Collins testified in opposition to a blanket ban on guns on college campuses, and described her own rape. She had a permit to carry a pistol but was unarmed when she was attacked. Ms. Collins was treated sensitively by Republicans on the panel, but when the questioning turned to Democratic Sen. Evie Hudak, the Democrats’ war on women was unleashed.

Now, the NRA has followed up with a nice article on Amanda Collins (you have to scroll down a bit).

All my life, I’ve been told there is a war being waged on women. Until recently, it was a fight I could agree with—a right to education and workplace equality. Lately, though, it seems the focus has shifted to whether we can have the ultimate control over our lives by exercising our right to self-defense—and that debate stands as a new war on women.

In October 2007, I was a student at the University of Nevada at Reno, studying to be a teacher. My parents required me to get a black belt in Tae Kwon Do before I could drive and encouraged me to get a carry permit. The college, however, wouldn’t allow me to carry my firearm on campus, so I was defenseless when a man attacked me from behind, put a pistol to my head and brutally raped me on the floor of the parking garage.

That serial rapist now sits on death row for the rape and murder of his third victim.

I’m infuriated with the lawmakers and administrators who rendered me defenseless that night, but I’m even more frustrated with the passivity of other women, especially women legislators. So many of them criticize others for trying to impose personal views about a woman’s “right to choose.” Where were they to defend my choice? …

Essentially, I was legislated into being a victim.

Ms. Collins talked about her experience with the Democrats in Colorado’s legislature:

After giving the most graphic and emotionally draining testimony since confronting my attacker in court, I was met with Sen. Evie Hudak’s patronizing response:

“Actually, statistics are not on your side, even if you had a gun,” she publicly chided me. “Chances are that if you had had a gun, then he would have been able to get that from you and possibly use it against you.”

My response still remains, “Respectfully, senator, you weren’t there.”

Which is a lot more respect than Hudak deserved.

The NRA has been doing a lot to promote a woman’s right to self-defense. This nice video featuring singer and firearms instructor Aysha Webb is a good example:

When it comes to being able to defend herself, and maybe somebody else, how can anyone be opposed to a woman’s right to choose?

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