the prostitution of Mrs. Hager
An article posted in The Nation yesterday describes in (juicy) detail the hypocrisy o f the evangelical Dr. Hager, the man who claims responsibility for stalling the FDA’s approval of over-the-counter emergency contraception pills, Plan B (the good ones, not the pukey Preven ones which some may remember from earlier subway incidents and are no longer being actively marketed). The man reputed as one of the foremost authorities on Christian women’s healthcare repeatedly sodomized his wife without consent and paid her $2000 for oral sex. The man is a rapist. And his now-Ex wife is speaking out against his hypocrisy.
As disturbing as they are on their own, Linda Davis's allegations take on even more gravity in light of Hager's public role as a custodian of women's health. Some may argue that this is just a personal matter between a man and his former wife--a simple case of "he said, she said" with no public implications. That might be so--if there were no allegations of criminal conduct, if the alleged conduct did not bear any relevance to the public responsibilities of the person in question, and if the allegations themselves were not credible and independently corroborated. But given that this case fails all of those tests, the public has a right to call on Dr. David Hager to answer Linda Davis's charges before he is entrusted with another term. After all, few women would knowingly choose a sexual abuser as their gynecologist, and fewer still would likely be comfortable with the idea of letting one serve as a federal adviser on women's health issues.
Read the full article here: http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050530&c=1&s=mcgarvey
Even today, marital sexual assault is a notoriously difficult crime to prosecute. Women like Davis often have strong financial incentives to stay with their spouses; those who speak out frequently face an uphill battle to convince people that their husbands, who may be well liked and respected, are capable of something this ugly at home. Also, because marriages play out over many years, some sex is consensual, while other sex is not--a fact that may complicate matters for a jury in a criminal proceeding.
This is the horrible truth behind many people’s reluctance to report any kind of acquaintance rape. I just saw this awesome t-shit over on bodyasbillboard.com that reads “does date rape mean I also get dinner?” with little pink hearts. The shirt has the explanation that “DATE RAPE does not exist. RAPE exists. Men who are found guilty of “DATE RAPE” get lighter sentences & less jail time. Meanwhile over 90% of women [ed. note: who are raped] are RAPED BY someone they know.” Watching Nadia (of kinkylibrarian.blogspot.com) struggle with her assault at a sex party caused me to remember after my own rape thinking, “well, it wasn’t really rape because I would have had sex with him earlier in the evening if he would have worn a condom.” Consent must be negotiated for each sexual act. This negotiation can be verbal or physical or occasionally “understood” (in a relationship with an exceptional level of trust). More importantly, consent can be revoked at any time. If at any point in a sex act any partner expresses a desire to stop, that desire should be respected.
In conclusion, fuck Hager up the ass without lube or consent.
Thank you.
As disturbing as they are on their own, Linda Davis's allegations take on even more gravity in light of Hager's public role as a custodian of women's health. Some may argue that this is just a personal matter between a man and his former wife--a simple case of "he said, she said" with no public implications. That might be so--if there were no allegations of criminal conduct, if the alleged conduct did not bear any relevance to the public responsibilities of the person in question, and if the allegations themselves were not credible and independently corroborated. But given that this case fails all of those tests, the public has a right to call on Dr. David Hager to answer Linda Davis's charges before he is entrusted with another term. After all, few women would knowingly choose a sexual abuser as their gynecologist, and fewer still would likely be comfortable with the idea of letting one serve as a federal adviser on women's health issues.
Read the full article here: http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050530&c=1&s=mcgarvey
Even today, marital sexual assault is a notoriously difficult crime to prosecute. Women like Davis often have strong financial incentives to stay with their spouses; those who speak out frequently face an uphill battle to convince people that their husbands, who may be well liked and respected, are capable of something this ugly at home. Also, because marriages play out over many years, some sex is consensual, while other sex is not--a fact that may complicate matters for a jury in a criminal proceeding.
This is the horrible truth behind many people’s reluctance to report any kind of acquaintance rape. I just saw this awesome t-shit over on bodyasbillboard.com that reads “does date rape mean I also get dinner?” with little pink hearts. The shirt has the explanation that “DATE RAPE does not exist. RAPE exists. Men who are found guilty of “DATE RAPE” get lighter sentences & less jail time. Meanwhile over 90% of women [ed. note: who are raped] are RAPED BY someone they know.” Watching Nadia (of kinkylibrarian.blogspot.com) struggle with her assault at a sex party caused me to remember after my own rape thinking, “well, it wasn’t really rape because I would have had sex with him earlier in the evening if he would have worn a condom.” Consent must be negotiated for each sexual act. This negotiation can be verbal or physical or occasionally “understood” (in a relationship with an exceptional level of trust). More importantly, consent can be revoked at any time. If at any point in a sex act any partner expresses a desire to stop, that desire should be respected.
In conclusion, fuck Hager up the ass without lube or consent.
Thank you.
posted by Jane Vincent at 10:25 PM
7 Comments:
You rock. I've hated that man since the day that I found out he was appointed to that comittee. As a fellow sex educator, I'm sure that you feel as frustrated with this administration as I do. Keep up the good work!!
Thanks for the head's up on this jerk, Jane. The article will be in this morning's post with appropriate attribution.
-G
hmmm ... is it head's up or heads up or heads-up?
It's too damn early, that's what it is.
-G
It never ceases to amaze me that information like this is so widely available and yet so soundly ignored by the American public. What a sad state of affairs...
Thanks for the posting!
I heard about the FDA thing. I did *not* hear about this. Rest assured, I'll be sharing it with those who would be interested in such information.
Jane, I love you. And yes, hearing about this today while listening to Air America pissed me off partly because I'm currently dealing with the fact that so few people will stand up to someone who has committed sexual assault or rape. This Dr. Hager should be sent to prison. He should be punished.
It hurts the victims twice when the perpetrator is allowed to go free - no consequences. It says to the victim, "You're not important. This guy has the right to hurt you." I've been dealing with TREMENDOUS anger that my assaulter is still getting comments on his blog about how great he is (when I'm stupid enough to look at the crap he calls writing. I have no idea why I look now and then. It's stupid for me to do that to myself.). I really question why the fuck I haven't named him. He doesn't deserve the respect I've given him. He doesn't deserve respect at all.
It's horrifying that in such a "modern" age with so many "educated" people that rape and assault are still so common. I can count the number of female friends who HAVEN'T been raped and/or sexually assaulted and/or sexually abused as children on ONE HAND. The majority have dealt with it. It's fucked up beyond belief.
I would be glad to give Dr. Hager (and a certain assaulter with the internet initial J.) a good reaming up the ass with a very sharp object. Just name the time and place and I will be there.
we all knew he stalled the FDA approval of Plan B going OTC [over the counter] due to politics, but now.. well, now we really know why. while his ex's disclosure [brave woman!] is super tragic and eye-opening, it serves a larger purpose, too. this president is appointing barbarians to make decisions about the way women can live. i hope she can move on and better herself, and i hope more people like you post her information so we can all see the larger agenda at hand. ... poor, poor laura. married to a misogynist. when's she gonna wake up?
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