Priorities

[Content Note: Rape culture.]

A recent study by the CCD found that Indiana ranks second in the nation for the rate of sexual assault against teenage girls. In Indiana, 17.3% of girls are sexually assaulted by the time they graduate high school, compared to a national average of 10.5%.

This finding prompted Rep. Christina Hale, D-Indianapolis, to propose legislation to investigate why Indiana's rate is so much higher than average and help define the right solutions. Said Hale: "We don't know where it's happening or why it's happening and we can't create the right programs or policies and laws unless we find out why this is happening."

Sounds reasonable enough, right? Welp.


As John Krull points out here [cn: description of sexual assault], the Republican-controlled legislature sure has some interesting, ahem, priorities:

The Indiana House of Representatives couldn't get to this bill to study sexual assaults, but the members - under the leadership of House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis - did schedule prolonged hearings in not one but two committees on a proposed state constitutional amendment to restrict marriage to one man and one woman.

Bosma said, over and over again, that the marriage amendment wasn't a priority for him and his caucus.

Apparently there are things that aren't priorities for the House GOP members, such as the marriage amendment, and things that really aren't priorities for them - like figuring out ways to prevent teen-agers and children from being sexually assaulted.

...The House also found time to consider and approve a bill that would require welfare recipients to take drug tests - despite the fact that the courts have struck down similar measures around the country.

Maybe it was a priority.

Indiana Republicans have wasted enormous amounts of time trying to codify discrimination into the state constitution, and have wasted more time passing heinous, disablist legislation that will surely be overturned just to try to deny assistance to people with addictions (to some drugs), and has further wasted time on anti-choice legislation that empowers anti-choice terrorists, but couldn't find time to pass a bill to find out why young Hoosiers are at a disproportionately high risk of being sexually assaulted. Perfect.

Terrific priorities, Indiana GOP. You're really knocking it out of the park this legislative session. Assholes.