A new video from the Wasilla Project documents the controversial practice of charging rape victims for evidence-gathering exams under Sarah Palin's watch as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. The video includes interviews from late September 2008 with former Alaska state representative Eric Croft, sponsor of the 2000 bill which made it illegal to charge victims for rape exams in Alaska; forensic nurse Tara Henry, who has conducted many such exams in Alaska; Wasilla city council member Dianne Woodruff (formerly a Republican but now an independent); Geran Tarr, chairperson of the Alaska Women's Lobby; and Dr. Colleen Murphy, formerly of the Alaska Violent Crimes Compensation Board. All attest to the wrongful nature of this practice, stubbornly pursued in Wasilla under Palin's watch even in the face of state legislation against it. This video follows a recent ad from Planned Parenthood hitting Palin on the practice of charging victims for rape exams.
Previous reports on Palin's rape exam controversy include a recent written report and video by CNN confirming that when Palin was mayor Wasilla did indeed cling stubbornly to the practice of charging victims for rape exams, even in the face of legislation against it sponsored by state representative Eric Croft. Croft told CNN that the only ongoing resistance he met was from Wasilla, where Palin was mayor from 1996 to 2002. "It was one of those things everyone could agree on except Wasilla...," Croft told CNN, "...We couldn't convince the chief of police to stop charging them." While some of Palin's supporters say they believe she had no knowledge of the practice, critics call the suggestion "outrageous" and question Palin's commitment to helping women who are victims of violence. As Croft told CNN, "I find it hard to believe that for six months a small town, a police chief, would lead the fight against a statewide piece of legislation receiving unanimous support and the mayor not know about it."
Forensic nurse Tara Henry also spoke with CNN, confirming Croft's comments on Wasilla's intransigence in the matter of rape exams and telling CNN that while several local law enforcement agencies expressed difficulty paying for the exams, Wasilla was the most vocal in its opposition to paying. Charging victims for exams "retraumatizes them," according to Henry: "Asking them to pay for something law enforcement needs in order to investigate their case, it's almost like blaming them for getting sexually assaulted."
Wasilla police have claimed that their intent was not to charge rape victims for their exams, but to charge victims' insurance companies. This claim has yet to be substantiated, however, and provides no answer for what might happen in cases where the victim has no insurance. In any case, police departments have no more business charging rape victims or their insurance companies for rape exams than they have charging for any other type of criminal investigation: this is why we pay taxes.
As Dianne Woodruff notes in the Wasilla Project video, Mayor Palin redecorated her own office multiple times at public expense while Wasilla claimed that it could not afford to pay for rape exams.
With a rape rate 2.5 times the national average, as CNN observes, Alaska has the worst record of any state in rape and murder of women by men.
American women and all Americans should know about Palin's history of opposing fair treatment for rape victims.
Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com
