Texas is charging rape victims who cooperate with the police.
By on May 9th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Texas is charging rape victims who cooperate with the police.
CNN reports that Texas hospitals are charging women who have been raped thousands of dollars for their rape kits that are collected by police as part of their investigations. According to CNN, Texas’s crime victim compensation fund consistently has a surplus and could likely cover these expenses. Watch it:
During the 2008 campaign, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) came under criticism for the fact that while serving as mayor of Wasilla, the town’s policy was to “bill victims” for their rape kits. (HT: AMERICAblog)
Update Cara at Feministe writes, "[W]e know that this is a problem that goes beyond Texas. Numerous states reportedly charge victims, despite the fact that it violates conditions of receiving grants under VAWA. And the real rub is that governments largely get their power to charge rape victims without attention due to the rape culture that breeds shame and stigma, and therefore keeps victims quiet." Debra Dickerson at Mother Jones also has more.
View Most Popular
Advertisement
What We're About
What We're Fighting For
What We're Fighting Against
Featured
Subscribe to the Progress Report
Topic CloudView topics sorted by popularity
Bayh
Beck
Birther
Brown
Budget
Bush
Business
Civil Rights
Congress
Corporate Ethics
DADT
Deficit
Economy
Education
Election
Environment
Ethics
Fox News
Global Warming
Haiti
Health Care
Immigration
International Relations
Justice
LGBT
Limbaugh
Lobbying
McCain
Media
Military
O'Keefe
Obama
Palin
Race
Radical Right
Robertson
Sports
Steele
Steve King
Stimulus
Supreme Court
Tea Parties
Terrorism
Torture
Women's Rights
Visit Our Affiliated Sites
Reports
In-depth studies on select topics
Got a hot tip?
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.
ArchivesBlog Roll
god forbid that the tax payer be “burdened” by these “victims”. My question: Who’s the victim?
May 9th, 2009 at 1:17 pmLet’s charge the families of murder victims for the cost of investigating too. /snark off
May 9th, 2009 at 1:21 pmIt’s probably the victim’s fault for being raped. Why should the state encourage that kind of behaviour?
May 9th, 2009 at 1:23 pm/snark
Texas has no excuse for doing this. It is nothing but state-sanctioned misogamy. Victims of a crime should never have to pay for the police to investigate that crime. That’s what our tax dollars are for – enforcing the law. For Texas to say they don’t want to pay for rape kits is to say that they don’t think rape should be investigated. And why would the hospital send the bill to the victim and not to the police that ordered the rape test?
May 9th, 2009 at 1:24 pmThe report says that the victim’s health insurance pays for it first, and then the victim would get the bill if the insurance does not pay? Why should the victim’s health insurance be responsible either?
May 9th, 2009 at 1:26 pmLet’s see. Isn’t the governor of Texas a compassionate conservative or don’t they use that moniker any longer since it gets no traction? As disgusting as this informatino is, its not the first time a Repignican administration has charged victims for help. Recall that early on in the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraqnam the Bush administration was charging wounded American soldiers for their meals in military hospitals. That lasted until Congressman David Obey (D-WI) found out about it and went ballistic.
Yup. Being a compassionate conservative shows so much compassion.
May 9th, 2009 at 1:27 pmCan Texas secede a little faster.
May 9th, 2009 at 1:31 pmThese compassionate Republicans just can’t resist an opportunity to make an extra buck.
May 9th, 2009 at 1:31 pmI’m to the point of actually wanting Texas and Alaska to secede.
May 9th, 2009 at 1:35 pmCharging for rape kits . . . secession . . . evangelical fervor . . . crooked senators . . . governors with narcissistic complexes . . . net “takers” from the Federal coffers . . . in the back pocket of Big Oil.
The similarities between Texas and Alaska really are amazing!
May 9th, 2009 at 1:40 pmAll for secession say “Yahoo!”
May 9th, 2009 at 1:45 pmWhy just rape? LibertyLover says let’s charge victims with costs associated with investigations of murder… but dead people don’t pay bills, so that’d be the grieving family that had to pay.
But the concept could apply to any crime… assault, burglary/robbery, fraud… Get the victims to foot the bill and think of how much tax payer money we’d save!
Of course victims could opt to forgo the investigation to save money… so the prison population would fall, and again the taxpayers save money.
Only crimes left where we poor taxpayers would have to foot the bill would be victimless crimes like drug use.
May 9th, 2009 at 1:46 pmSounds like a GREAT template for the pro-torture parties healthcare platform.
May 9th, 2009 at 1:57 pmThe examination takes place at a hospital, but how hard is it for the police department to set up an account with the hospital?
May 9th, 2009 at 2:07 pmLet ‘em secede. Everyone should read Hendrik Hertzberg’s May 4 editorial in the New Yorker: “Goodbye, Pardner” which details all of the issues we’d no longer have to deal with if we let the ‘federated states’ go form their own union: things like school prayer, evolution vs creationism, sancticty of traditional marriage, etc. All of these ‘issues’ issue from a socially regressive South. There might be some refugees but still… these guys are so over the top, it’s hard to think of them as ‘my fellow Americans.’
May 9th, 2009 at 2:07 pmThis is not true.
Had CNN done a simple Google search as I did, they would find that the STATE does not charge crime victims.
The hospitals may be giving the bills to the victims but the state has a fund for this and other victim expenses. And the State can be billed directly.
Other crime scene expenses (like lab tests of victims clothes) are to be paid for by the law enforcement agency.
Cable news shows are becoming worse than tabloids.
May 9th, 2009 at 2:13 pmTexass License Plate Contest:
Here’s my entry.
May 9th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Charging rape victims for rape kits is just cruel. It’s as if they’re blaming the victim for the crime. Governor Perry is supposed to be a religious, conservative and he allows this to happen? So much for christian values/morals.
May 9th, 2009 at 2:24 pmThey don’t do this to any other crime victims. Rapes are already grossly underreported. This should make it much better… /end sarcasm
May 9th, 2009 at 2:25 pmThe state needs to ensure that rape victims do not recieve the bill at all. It’s ridiculous to be raped and then given a bill by the hospital. The hospital should bill the state directly. It’s despicable and the Texas government should do something about it.
May 9th, 2009 at 2:28 pmThey couldn’t be trying to discourage rape victims from going to the police, now…could they?
If memory serves, don’t at least 50% of rapes — and that’s a conservative estimate — already go unreported?
And for that matter…let’s remember that Texas is the state where Clayton Williams, a candidate in the state’s 1990 gubernatorial election, publicly likened rape to the weather and said that “as long as it’s inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it.”
Kind of says something about the Texas mind-set, if you ask me…
May 9th, 2009 at 2:28 pmeve says: Other crime scene expenses (like lab tests of victims clothes) are to be paid for by the law enforcement agency.
If what you say is true, why would this not fall under the normal crime scene expenses? Why is it differentiated?
May 9th, 2009 at 2:30 pmThis isn’t exactly new news and I don’t think it’s limited to the two secessionist states of Texas and Alaska. How long is it going to take for most people to wake up to the fact that things such as this are irrevocably a part of the for-profit model of health care delivery?
May 9th, 2009 at 2:32 pmwhat is disgusting is post #3 – No one asks to be raped. Esp. not the young children & elderly that are often the prey of rapists because of their vulnerbility. Smarten up – After all did you ask to be so stupid?
May 9th, 2009 at 2:34 pmRight wing justice. Why are we surprised after 8 years of the vilest right wing administration on earth. Have we not learned these people’s sense of fairness by now. Give all our money to the rich and corporations and let them gut us anyway they can.
If that means exploiting RAPE victims, so be it. If the police dept pays for the rape kits, how can the repubs give billionaires lots of tax breaks. REPUBLICANS DO NOT BELIEVE IN GOVERNMENT. THEREFORE. DON”T ELECT THEM TO ANY GOVERNMENT POSITIONS BECAUSE THEY WILL JUST GUT THOSE AGENCIES.
Do the Americans get that yet?????
May 9th, 2009 at 2:36 pmLibertyLover Says: “Let’s charge the families of murder victims for the cost of investigating too. /snark off”
A closer analogy would be for the hospital which received the dead or dying murder victim to bill the deceased’s family for the ambulance ride and ER care.
Something tells me not to be too surprised if this turns out to be true.
May 9th, 2009 at 2:36 pmmadmacs.mrs Says:
what is disgusting is post #3 – No one asks to be raped. Esp. not the young children & elderly that are often the prey of rapists because of their vulnerbility. Smarten up – After all did you ask to be so stupid?
the commenter was being sarcastic (or snarky) — (hence the use of “/snark”)
May 9th, 2009 at 2:38 pmWayne Ant Schneider Says: “Texas has no excuse for doing this. It is nothing but state-sanctioned misogamy.”
Hating marriages??? ;-) I think you might have meant misogyny.
May 9th, 2009 at 2:40 pmmadmacs.mrs @ 24. That post was meant to be sarcastic. The “/snark” is sort of a code for snarkiness.
Without that “/snark”, yes, that would be a horrible comment.
May 9th, 2009 at 2:50 pmI say we recoup our money and bill Texas for sending us a lemon president…
May 9th, 2009 at 2:55 pmeve, the state orders a test done in the course of a criminal investigation. But in this case and this case alone, it refuses to pay for it.
May 9th, 2009 at 2:56 pmthat alone is outrageous behavior.
the best interpretation–that the state is merely screwing the hospitals only in the case of rape, and the hospitals callously charge the victim instead of sucking in their financial gut and taking the loss–is not only bizarre, but has them engaging in an actionable practice (especially in Texas!) without an official policy condoning it, if not ordering it.
There’s probably no public document that puts forth this policy–that’s the job of a bit of further investigation.
Want to bet that investigation turns up correspondence to that effect?
hospitals in america today are just money grubbing corporations like any other. don’t be fooled by thier veneer of “healing institutions”…they are just McHealth factories charging ridiculous fees for what is often vaporservices. I had to take my girlfriend to the emergency room when she had a fainting spell, and amongst the numerous charges was 20 dollars for a pregnancy test..and 200$ to administer the test (ie. dip the stick in the urine they already got from her for other tests)..but gosh, I called them and after some haggling they agreed to only charge 100$ instead of 200$….I’ll bet you anything these hospitals are probably also charging rape victims 200$ a pop for pregnancy tests…I beleive such charges are completey unconsionable, especially in circumstances such as sexual assault…
May 9th, 2009 at 2:56 pmeve Says: “Had CNN done a simple Google search as I did, they would find that the STATE does not charge crime victims.”
Not defending CNN or any other of the MSMs but the article does say that it’s the hospitals that charge, not the state. It does, however make the entirely valid point that Texas could, if they chose, pay the hospital charges out of their victim compensation fund.
Sadly and not for the first time, it’s the Think Progress headline which misleads. In testimony before the Senate this week former Baltimore Sun reporter and creator of the TV series The Wire and Homicide had this to say:
“The internet is a marvelous tool, and clearly it is the information delivery system of our future. But thus far, it does not deliver much first-generation reporting. Instead, it leeches that reporting from mainstream news publications, whereupon aggregating websites and bloggers contribute little more than repetition, commentary and froth.”
I would add that internet sources frequently distort or otherwise misrepresent the journalistic work of others in order to satisfy a pre-determined agenda.
May 9th, 2009 at 2:57 pmAny bets that every state employee’s health plan covers Cialis, Viagra and other hard-on meds?
No rape kit = no proof of the crime = less work load.
Do they charge murder victims’ families with crime scene photos and DNA tests? ‘Cause those get kinda pricey, too.
PEACE
May 9th, 2009 at 2:58 pmTHIS IS NOT TRUE. THE STATE OF TEXAS DOES PAY FOR RAPE EXAMINATIONS.
The hospitals may be sending a bill to the victim, but the law enforcement agency pays for this and is reimbursed by the state. Sounds like there is a screw up somewhere but the State does pay for this and has a fund to pay for many more victim expenses. For rape victims and victims of other violent crimes. Therapy, psychological services, child care, and much more including:
one-time relocation expenses for domestic violence victims or for those sexual assault victims attacked in their own residence
took me one minute on google to find all the details on the State of Texas website
May 9th, 2009 at 3:00 pmeve says: “Other crime scene expenses (like lab tests of victims clothes) are to be paid for by the law enforcement agency.”
Hoodathunktick Says: “If what you say is true, why would this not fall under the normal crime scene expenses? Why is it differentiated?”
It’s differentiated because the examples cited by eve are of work done by the authorities (don’t ya love that term?) whereas the rape kits and the the associated lab work are preformed by a private for-profit hospital.
May 9th, 2009 at 3:01 pmI don’t know what’s worse: the fact these women (and girls) have to pay for their rape kits or the fact that the rapist will all but likely get away with it even if it went to trial. The misogynistic version of the “gay panic” defense is accusing a woman of “sexual immorality,” and, thus, deserving, of a brutal assault and torture.
May 9th, 2009 at 3:02 pmeve (@16) says this is not true. a source for your info would be helpful. i also did some googling:
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2009/05/friday-edition-you-gotta-be-kidding-me-beat
“Victims of sexual assault are getting bills, rejection letters and pushy calls from bill collectors while a state crime victims’ fund sits full of cash…” within this article is a cite for:
http://www.click2houston.com/news/19400415/detail.html
“…to see the run-around women have to go through to get the bills paid,if they ever do; we’ll never know how many just pay these huge bills, or take the hit to their credit reports, simply to have the whole horrible thing behind them. Just imagine calling some faceless bureaucrat trying to get these bills paid; “Hi. I was…you know… raped and you guys said you’d paid for the… rape kit?”
May 9th, 2009 at 3:05 pmeve @35: your source is the state of texas website?!?! so you are placing all your trust in what the bureaucrats say and not the victims?
May 9th, 2009 at 3:13 pm> took me one minute on google to find all
> the details on the State of Texas website
Oh..well..gosh…gee f#cking whiz, I mean, if its on a website, and not just any website, but the United Republic of Texazistan, it MUST be true.
Please shut the f#ck up, go away, and stop trying to be an apologist for whoever is allowing this aggregious practice to even be legal. The healthcare and insurance industries, especially in texas, has bribed and influenced the government into kowtowing to their every whim. You know why? When one of the legislators family members get sick or needs medical care, guess who rides in and foots the bill? (Lets just say I’ve heard about this practice practically from the horses mouth.) And guess whose financial interests are NEVER going to get put on the backburner because of this quid pro quo…
May 9th, 2009 at 3:14 pmWhile it sounds like a long time ago to you kids, an old codger like me recalls that as recently as 1990 the Republican candidate for governor — who was ahead in the polls — said of rape victims, “As long as it’s inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it.” (The Democrat, Ann Richards, won the election. She was defeated in the next election by the ne’er-do-well son of a former President.)
There are still many Southern & Western American men AND WOMEN — including legislators — who think rape victims “asked for it.” Thus, their attitude remains, “If these women are going to whine about being victimized, they can at least pay some of the costs for their part in the so-called crime.”
The Constant Weader at http://www.RealityChex.com
May 9th, 2009 at 3:15 pm>I would add that internet
> sources frequently distort
> or otherwise misrepresent
> the journalistic work of
> others in order to
> satisfy a pre-determined agenda.
I would add that your long winded discourse on journalistic integrity is sorely misplaced if you’re really f$ckign dumb enough to beleive that the government of texas and the people who send texas rape victims bills arent in bed together.
May 9th, 2009 at 3:20 pmif the funeral industry had as much clout as the healthcare industry does, they’d be sending the families of victims who died of gunshots wounds bills for digging the bullets out of the corpses…
May 9th, 2009 at 3:29 pmDumbass, shitwhistle, dickhead Texicans just legislated the age of the Universe, too.
Please, lord, ‘et ‘em secede and declare war on the rest of us…
May 9th, 2009 at 3:34 pmSo, how does it work if a man or boy is raped in Texas????????
May 9th, 2009 at 3:41 pmceltic cynic Says:
So, how does it work if a man or boy is raped in Texas????????
They’re sent to Yale and made president of the United States.
May 9th, 2009 at 3:44 pmSounds like grounds for a lawsuit, on 14th Amendment bases, concerning the equal protection clause.
Without the rape kit, the chances of catching the perp is diminished, and the disparate treatment of victims based on whether they seek to catch the perp, seems to condone rape of those who cannot afford the rape kits.
May 9th, 2009 at 3:49 pmThe trouble with Texas and Alaska is that TV got to their huddled masses yearning for freedom before indoor plumbing. I say let them go and in that case the squeaky oil would get the wheel.
May 9th, 2009 at 3:53 pmIt’s the same, except they swab the anus in the case of anal rape. Women can be anally raped also.
May 9th, 2009 at 3:59 pmlinkwray Says:
The trouble with Texas and Alaska is that TV got to their huddled masses yearning for freedom before indoor plumbing. I say let them go and in that case the squeaky oil would get the wheel.
I think they’re confusing “god & country” for the nuclear waste that’s in their drinking water, making them just plain crazy.
May 9th, 2009 at 3:59 pmwhat happens when victims discover a shotgun blast to the suspect’s crotch area is more cost-effective than reporting the crime? /snark or maybe not
May 9th, 2009 at 4:00 pmCompassionate conservatism… what a joke. There’s so many idiots in this state they would vote for the devil himself if he had a (R) behind his name on the ballot.
May 9th, 2009 at 4:03 pmalaska and texas sitting in a tree
c-h-a c-h-i-n-g
May 9th, 2009 at 4:11 pmrush limbaugh doesn’t even have to leave the country!
May 9th, 2009 at 4:13 pm> Sounds like grounds for a lawsuit,
> on 14th Amendment bases,
> concerning the equal protection clause.
I like your thinking, but actually, thats Probably not going to work I hate to say. For one thing, being poor isnt considered a protected class and theres also a question of whether a state actor is directly causing the harm to the extent necessary to invoke a claim of a constitional violation. (In allmost all cases (with some rare exceptions), only government actors/agents can be charged with violating a persons constitional rights.) If the police refused to investigate until the victim forked over cash or credit card then there MIGHT be a constitutional issue. The legal angle I see here is that pretty much every state has laws that say that any contract which is unconscionable or against public policy is null and void. So I would argue that a hospital forcing a person to pay for what is essentially part of a police investigation is an unconscionable contractual arrangement and against public policy…
May 9th, 2009 at 4:15 pmWhat happens if the rape victim refuses to pay? Do they prosecute or sue her?
May 9th, 2009 at 4:18 pmCome on people. Texas needs to make all the money they can for when they secede.
May 9th, 2009 at 4:29 pmneoparody Says:
rush limbaugh doesn’t even have to leave the country!
May 9th, 2009 at 4:29 pm========
It would be great if you left the country!!
Let’s face it people, this is Texas after all. One of the most backward states. There are a handful of states you can count on for several things. Empathetic and insightful attitudes are not two traits that are included in the Texas population or government. These women are lucky they do not have to perform the rape test themselves.
After all it was probably the victims fault. If she had not been breathing, or walking or sleeping in her own bed, it would not have been necessary for her to be raped.
May 9th, 2009 at 4:32 pmActually Nat, your question is valid. I think if she does not pay, they report her and it goes on her credit rating as an unpaid debt.
May 9th, 2009 at 4:35 pmI anyone starts a fund to pay for the badly needed rape kits I will donate.
May 9th, 2009 at 4:53 pmHe will if you give him a bottle of viagra without his name on it — zoom off to Cuba he goes!!
I wonder if he shared it with Castro
May 9th, 2009 at 5:04 pm!yaw oN
May 9th, 2009 at 5:07 pmA serial rapist that targeted men was caught, tried and convicted. The lawyer’s account of dealings with the victims is interesting. Not as interesting as the verdict.
He was a serial rapist. I’ve got to look up convictions for serial rapist that target women, now.
May 9th, 2009 at 5:09 pmI live in Texas and we ride cows to skool, a remodlled trayler home, which is on the norf forty, past the earl derricks. Owr skool marm look like Saruh Palin. We well berm in hail iv we dunt listin two marm ladye
May 9th, 2009 at 5:10 pmyep.
link
Why no war on rape? Why is putting pot smokers in prison more important than getting rapists off the streets? Why are women being billed for forensic examinations?
We have made progress. It’s no longer socially acceptable for men to joke about rape, and we don’t hear the “can’t thread a moving needle” argument anymore. But we are a long way from parity.
May 9th, 2009 at 5:25 pmthere is plenty to criticize the state gov in Texas for
but if you folks think journalists are never wrong, then you are nuts
I’m not saying the victims are not getting bills from the hospitals. There is a screw up here somewhere. But could it not be the for-profit hospitals who are screwing up because they don’t give a shit if the victims are harassed for a payment they are not responsible for paying?
The individual law enforcement agencies pay for the rape examinations and are then reimbursed by the state of Texas.
State of Texas
Crime Victims’ Compensation
Who May Qualify (TCCP, Art.56.32.)
* An innocent victim of crime who suffers physical and/or emotional harm or death.
* An authorized individual acting on behalf of a victim.
* A person who legally assumes the obligations or voluntarily pays certain expenses related to the crime on behalf of the victim.
* A dependent of a victim.
* An immediate family member or household members related by blood or marriage who require psychiatric care or counseling as a result of the crime.
* An intervenor who goes to the aid of the victim or a peace officer.
* A peace officer, fire fighter, or individual whose employment includes the duty of protecting the public.
What Crimes Are Covered (TCCP, Art.56.32.4)
Crimes involving “criminally injurious conduct,” which is defined as conduct that occurs or is attempted, poses a substantial threat of personal injury or death and is, or would be, punishable by fine, imprisonment or death. This includes sex offenses, kidnapping, aggravated robbery, assaultive offenses, arson, homicide and other violent crimes in which the victim suffers physical or emotional harm or death.
The following motor-vehicle-related crimes are also covered: Failure to Stop and Render Aid, DWI, Manslaughter, Criminally Negligent Homicide, Aggravated Assault, Intoxication Manslaughter and Intoxication Assault.
What Expenses Are Eligible
Claims may be approved for benefits up to a total of $50,000. These funds may be paid to the victim/claimant or to service providers on behalf of the victim. Approved claims may be awarded compensation for the following expenses related to the crime:
* Medical, hospital, physical therapy or nursing care
* Psychiatric care or counseling
* Loss of earnings or support
* Loss of wages due to participation in, or attendance at, the investigation, prosecutorial and judicial processes, and travel
* Care of a child or a dependent
* Funeral and burial expenses
* Crime scene clean-up
* Replacement costs for clothing, bedding, or property seized as evidence or rendered unusable as a result of the investigation
* Reasonable attorney fees for assistance in filing the Crime Victims’ Compensation application and in obtaining benefits, if the claim is approved
* Loss of wages and travel to seek medical treatment
* One time relocation expenses for domestic violence victims or for those sexual assault victims attacked in their own residence
In the case of catastrophic injuries resulting in a total and permanent disability, the victim may be eligible for $50,000 in benefits for:
* Making a home or car accessible
* Job training and vocational rehabilitation
* Training in the use of special appliances
* Home health care
* Reimbursement of lost wages
http://www.oag.state.tx.us/victims/expenses.shtml
May 9th, 2009 at 5:41 pmeve Says:
This is not true.
Had CNN done a simple Google search as I did, they would find that the STATE does not charge crime victims.
Nowhere in the article here does it say that the State charges the victims, it says the hospitals charge the victims. The point here seems to be that the State should have an account set up with hospitals wherein the hospitals bill the state or the local police department. CNN said that the State Crime Victim budget should pay for the tests. Do you disagree with that?
May 9th, 2009 at 5:53 pmChocolate Jesus Says:
hospitals in america today are just money grubbing corporations like any other.
You’re telling me. I spent 5 minutes in an emergency room on Christmas day getting a prescription filled. The Hospital had the nerve to charge me $300 for 5 minutes. My insurance paid $100 and I was left to pay the remaining $300. Then on top of that bill the Physician I saw charged $285 for that 5 minutes. For some strange reason my insurance paid for all of the physician’s bill.
We need a single payer health care system in this country and we need it bad. I asked my physician how the emergency room could get away charging like that and her response was that they lose so much money from people who can’t afford to pay their bills, they have to make up their operating expenses by charging so much in the hope that the insurance and/or patient will pay the bill.
May 9th, 2009 at 5:58 pm69. eve Says:
there is plenty to criticize the state gov in Texas for
Are you intentionally missing the point of this thread or are you really that stupid? What you are saying is that the State of Texas Crime Victims’ Compensation should be paying these bills. What the story is saying is that THEY ARE NOT PAYING and the victim ends up having to pay the bill.
Are you really that dense? Are you a new kind of troll, the dense troll?
May 9th, 2009 at 6:01 pmNat Says:
What happens if the rape victim refuses to pay? Do they prosecute or sue her?
They send it to a collection agency and ruin her credit.
May 9th, 2009 at 6:03 pmIt would be easy to trash Texas but unfortunately the people living there already have.
May 9th, 2009 at 6:13 pmI would love to be a vigilantist and get all rapist.
Men should do in all serial rapist before he gets a chance to see a jail cell.
May 9th, 2009 at 6:18 pmBack in the day, I knew of a judge who believed a woman couldn’t be raped if she wasn’t a virgin.
May 9th, 2009 at 6:19 pmwiley Says:
yep.
Female victims were judged more harshly than male victims. Length of imprisonment considered appropriate for guilty assailants was found to be greater when injury was done to one’s own gender.
link
Why no war on rape? Why is putting pot smokers in prison more important than getting rapists off the streets? Why are women being billed for forensic examinations?
Billo needs the hippies in jail to take away attention from his nightly ritual of gathering information on “women’s clothes changing habits”.
May 9th, 2009 at 6:22 pmGood Lord. This reads like something out of The Onion. This disgusts me. The rapists, if indigent, will get free lawyers. Yet their victims will be charged thousands for a rape kit?
Yeah, I’m officially disgusted with Texas.
May 9th, 2009 at 6:26 pmWell just you try littering here! =)
May 9th, 2009 at 6:33 pmIngraham voted for that judge, IIRC.
May 9th, 2009 at 6:35 pmBut but but they make F-16 fighter jets here!!
May 9th, 2009 at 6:36 pmAmericasBack Says:
texas …thats all I had to read, and I knew. I just knew it would be something I could laugh about and cry about at the same time.
Kinda like when my wife made me happy and sad at the same time… She said; “Honey, you’re bigger than all your friends”
HAHAHAHA
You are silly.
May 9th, 2009 at 6:40 pmDoesn’t tx have enough oil to pay for rape kits?
May 9th, 2009 at 6:41 pmAwww, what a nice way to compliment your being overweight.
[joking]
May 9th, 2009 at 6:42 pmRefineries man refineries…
May 9th, 2009 at 6:43 pmoy.
has anyone else mentioned how that headline is… bad…
there’s room for the words “for rape kits” up there… at least…
as to the story, no brainer for justifiable outrage…
May 9th, 2009 at 7:03 pmObamas mother was white and we Texans respect her!!
May 9th, 2009 at 7:11 pmYew Funneh
May 9th, 2009 at 7:14 pmNaw she met some hornely acadeemik up nort
May 9th, 2009 at 7:27 pmActually I press a key which represents a letter. As dor proving your point As for proof, no need, its up to you, the accuser, to prove the validity of generalized group think point.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:31 pmBTW projecting your imagination, which you, perhaps, call opinion, on me is in no way a proof of anything other than an active, if not overactive, imagination.
It’s Reason #1,248,397 why Texas should secede.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:34 pmIsn’t it ironic? Texas is also, apparently, still on course to convert their public schools into Christian schools. Though I guess it’s safe to say that the stuff about compassion, understanding, and forgiveness is not the part of the Buy-bull they are committed to teaching.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:37 pmNot gonna happen.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:37 pmNot. Gonna. Happen.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:39 pmWhat’s with tx and ak being associated with dead stuffed animals in ones home?
May 9th, 2009 at 7:42 pmI put that in my will, stuff me when I die and put me in the den, by the teebee so my family dont forget me.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:44 pmXisithrus Says:
Obamas mother was white and we Texans respect her!!
really? (a sincere question)…
’cause i always figured the rednecks were angry that a white girl would “prefer” a black man…
it’d be hard to convince me otherwise…
…
AmericasBack – i’m curious – still got that wife?
May 9th, 2009 at 7:44 pm:-)
It seems to me that in most states, the procedure is for the hospital to process the Crime Victim Compensation forms for most victims of crime and especially for rape victims. So it doesn’t appear to be a state problem — something’s wrong with the medical facilities.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:44 pmI was being facetious. Obama is not, I say, African American but American African. =)
As for my red neck, stop looking at it!!! ]heh[
May 9th, 2009 at 7:46 pmAnd Crime Victim Compensation does not come from tax dollars. The monis come from fines imposed upon federal criminals and which are then dispersed to all the states.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:47 pmmonies — oops.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:47 pmThey have tens of millions of dollars left in the compensation fund each year and they want the victim to pay. What’s wrong with the Texas government?
May 9th, 2009 at 7:50 pmXisithrus Says:
Game of Life Says: What’s with tx and ak being associated with dead stuffed animals in ones home?
I put that in my will, stuff me when I die and put me in the den, by the teebee so my family dont forget me.
I hope you won’t have a constipated look on your face.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:50 pmFor Christ’s sake secede already
May 9th, 2009 at 7:55 pmI hope you’re right, Xis. I sincerely hope that the children of an entire state would not be denied honest science education. However, some of the recent rulings from the Texas School Board are not encouraging. Heck! They’ve even managed to rule that the Big Bang Theory and the observation of an expanding universe should be “Christianized”.
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/10882/texas-school-board-votes-on-the-age-of-the-universe
May 9th, 2009 at 8:00 pmDobson is just as crazy as patty.
via dkos
May 9th, 2009 at 8:02 pmI guess I forgot to mention the artificial ‘chocolate pie’ at me feets. I just hope the family doesnt use it in some cow chip throwing contest =)
May 9th, 2009 at 8:05 pmCould you imagine the infighting between some 700 groups with different interpretations of the bible? Ennyhoo they can vote on the age of the universe, but it doesnt make it so.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:10 pmAh! Here’s the other really disturbing story. They seem committed to redefining “theory” as “guess”. Ironically, they seem equally committed to redefining “religious belief” as “scientific debate”. Alas, there’s no arguing with such ignorant, deluded people.
http://www.dakotavoice.com/2009/03/texas-school-board-invites-critique-of-scientific-theories/
BTW. Yes. All theories are open to examination and critique. However, such critiques coming from students and their ignorant parents have little, if any, value.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:11 pmExpanding on the same subject, lets say our physicists said the universe was 14 billion years old. That is based on the current period of our POV [Earth] and that by and of itself skews ‘time’ tremendously.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:13 pmXisithrus Says:
Ennyhoo they can vote on the age of the universe, but it doesnt make it so.
Of course not. But they can, and have, changed curricula and textbooks. And, since Texas is a huge textbook market, some of their new textbooks will be adopted by other school systems around the country. Plus? It really pisses me off when those who are scientifically illiterate impose their ignorance on others.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:16 pmProblem solved….Single Payer Health Care…It’s like they get raped twice by the perpetrator then the Government of Texas only in America.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:20 pmWell, there are many competing theories on time/space/creation and so far as I know none can be proven. Until then people, for the sake of society, should, I think, agree to disagree and err on the side of safety, that is we should do all we can too preserve our little spaceship called earth because it does have limited resources which all of us, of all nations, depend upon.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:20 pmXisithrus Says:
Expanding on the same subject, lets say our physicists said the universe was 14 billion years old. That is based on the current period of our POV [Earth] and that by and of itself skews ‘time’ tremendously.
That’s not the issue, as I see it. The problem is the assertion that ignorant students, or their ignorant parents, should be allowed to decide what’s “good science” and what isn’t. They simply are not qualified to make such distinctions and, most definitely, should not be allowed a voice in what public schools teach in science classes.
Historically, a student doesn’t get to ignore the teacher unless said student has surpassed said teacher.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:21 pmI agree, to a point, but we also have educated scientists, who will, for money, decide whats good.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:23 pmThe Age of the Universe according to Measurments taken via the Hubble Space Telescope is thought to be around 12.7 Billion years.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:26 pmHubble has expanded our knowledge of the Universe in ways both wonderous and unimanigable before it was lofted into orbit 19 years ago.
The irony, to me anyway is that the Manned Spacecraft Center is in Houston given whats going on down in Texas.
Somebody asked why the woman’s insurance company shoulod have to be charged for the rape kits. Well, mostly because there are people who are employed to make these kits, and companies who sell them and need to make money in order to keep making more. *Somebody* has to pay for them. If not the insurance company…who? The hospital? That would then come out of the charity fund, which is already stretched to the brink for most nonprofits caring for the uninsured and underinsured, and ultimately taxpayer money as a large chunk of hospital revenue is government-sponsored programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and veterans’ insurances. So if we don’t charge the insurance companies…how do these companies get reimbursed for their product? Because if they don’tget paid, they won’t supply them anymore, and then what do we do?
I understand the angst
May 9th, 2009 at 8:26 pmWell, I point to such educated people as seen in government today who make horrible decisions because they view themselves as ‘correct’ because of their restricted education.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:26 pmSorry, I cut my last sentence off. But I’d really like to have an intelligent discussion about who *should* pay for these services, not just random ranting against hospitals and states. It’s a very legitimate question.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:28 pmYes. Our years. Lets say some nutjob from Venus came along and said that it was 1 billion years. =)
Crucify that wacko!!
May 9th, 2009 at 8:29 pmXisithrus says:
May 9th, 2009 at 8:30 pmHeh. I like your sense of humor Xis.
Do you mean people like Don McLeroy?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_McLeroy
May 9th, 2009 at 8:31 pmYes, intelligent people ignore the unseen boundaries drawn by projectionists!!
May 9th, 2009 at 8:31 pmThx Jim!
If I did not find humor in humanity I might become a cynic..
May 9th, 2009 at 8:33 pmCheers to that Xisithrus. Much needed these days.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:35 pmpete Says: Do you mean people like Don McLeroy?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_McLeroy
dangit pete, I was trying to relax, bbq some ribs [not Adams!] and have a few drinks..and now I have to read..
May 9th, 2009 at 8:36 pmFYI, here is the eligibility for the Crime Victims’ Compensation:
In other words, in only seems to cover what insurance does not-it’s a last resort payer. So if your insurance covers rape kits, you have to make the claim there first. You will be turned down if you do not.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:36 pmJim Wolf359 Says: Cheers to that Xisithrus. Much needed these days.
Seriously, serious people just do nothing but ruin parties.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:38 pmIt seems like a simple issue to me, hillary1. The cost should be in the law enforcement budget and, under no circumstances, should the victim ever see a bill.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:38 pmSorry, Xis. But? It’s not a very long read.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:39 pmSo the police should have to pay for it? That makes no sense.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:40 pmI understand the issue about not billing the woman directly-that’s heinous-but I have no issue billing the insurance companies. That’s what they exist for. Besides, all the other issues surrounding a rape victim are billed their-including ER treatment, cultures, antibiotics if needed, stitches, surgery, etc.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:42 pmSeems hypocritical. Naturalism would be, by his logic, somethinf intelligent design would have created…
May 9th, 2009 at 8:43 pmhillary1 Says:
So the police should have to pay for it? That makes no sense.
It makes perfect sense to me. A “rape kit” is a form of forensic examination, same as an autopsy or any other crime scene investigation. As such, the cost should be part of the crime lab budget.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:43 pmXisithrus Says:
Seems hypocritical.
I think he’s too deluded to be hypocritical.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:45 pmWhat bothers me is that a rape victim STILL in the 21st Century is presumed gulity until proven innocent. This is not just a problem in Texas but in the majority of the states. In the investigation of a crime, especially as heinous as rape, this is not acceptabe. One would think that the billing of the test kits shouldn’t happen in as much they are used to gather evidence.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:45 pmI don’t necessarily agree-they are primarily administered as part of a medical examination, only secondarily a forensic one-and the cost gets passed on to the taxpayers instead of the insurance companies, because who funds law enforcement budgets?
It’s not as straightforward as it first appears IMO.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:50 pmAlso. I’m pretty sure that the actual cost of the lab work is in the law enforcement budget. I would be willing to bet that, in comparison, the actual kit is a minuscule investment.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:50 pmPerhaps, but arguing over what one thinks, or believes, I think, takes away from doing what we must to preserve humanity. We can argue the beliefs later but we should not, I say, focus on NOW when many thousands of years, if not millions lay before us.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:51 pmI’m sure you’re right there. The best thing would be to get rid of rape altogether.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:53 pmAgreed. “NOW” is always the most important thing. And right NOW the Texas school board, led by Don McLeroy, is making decisions that jeopardize the ability of Texas students to get a viable scientific education.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:55 pmhillary1 Says:
I’m sure you’re right there. The best thing would be to get rid of rape altogether.
No argument there. When it comes to sex crime I don’t think we could spend enough on prevention and, when it comes to punishing the guilty, I can be downright uncivilized.
May 9th, 2009 at 9:00 pmall that oils got them thinking like the Saudis.
May 9th, 2009 at 9:02 pmthe problem isnt statism its not texas’ fault!
As the wheel turns those that ride it to the top ride it to the bottom
May 9th, 2009 at 9:21 pmSo what is it about our society that causes rape. I recall living in a lower middle class neighborhood where a single mother, who lived directly behind us, was raped by her pastor who had climbed into her window.
May 9th, 2009 at 9:27 pmLets think about this, Mcelroys wealth was created by science [dentistry] why would he be against science?
May 9th, 2009 at 9:36 pmhey, uuuh, our prez is getting in some digs…
not sure how this is going to go over…
May 9th, 2009 at 10:03 pmsaved … by ending with an excellent proclamation of the importance of the free and TRUTHful press, media…
May 9th, 2009 at 10:15 pmgood on ya, wanda! very well done!
May 9th, 2009 at 10:28 pmaaaw! he gave helen thomas a kiss, after whispering in her ear!
May 9th, 2009 at 10:31 pmbut, oh boy, lots of fodder for the rabid righties!
wait for it…
May 9th, 2009 at 10:32 pmAnd more on the rape kit disgrace:
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/05/09/texas-rape-victims-forced-to-pay-for-evidence/
The system of payment is never supposed to pass the cost of the ‘rape kits’ needed for evidence collection on to the victims, according to Kelly Young of the Houston Area Women’s Center. “It is set up legislatively so that the criminal justice system pays for whatever evidence collection occurs.”
Police departments pay the bill for evidence collection, and are reimbursed up to $700 by the Texas Victim’s Compensation Fund(TVCF). If the bill exceeds $700, many police departments will take care of the remainder. If other services were needed, victims can apply for more funding from TVCF.
May 9th, 2009 at 11:01 pmHey there loser. The Privacy Center sucks and no one gives a shit about it or your lame ass posts…
May 10th, 2009 at 8:54 amDumb Question: wouldn’t this mean that only the wealthy will be able to make a charge of rape ?
1st they go to the insurance company – well we know about health insurance and who does and doesn’t have it.
Then the victim is charged – so the only way the victim can have their claim investigated is if they have a couple of thousand sitting around.
So doesn’t this say to the rapist, just choose a poor person and you won’t be charged ?
(This in addition with any tendency of the police system to ignore crimes against the poor to begin with).
May 10th, 2009 at 8:28 pmseslichat
May 10th, 2009 at 11:29 pmsesli chat
sesli sohbet
Thank you !
Nike dunk SB shoes
Nike dunk SB shoes
Ed hardy clothes
May 11th, 2009 at 4:16 amEd hardy clothes
tiffany rings?
May 11th, 2009 at 4:41 amtiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
tiffany rings?
hillary1 Says:
I don’t necessarily agree-they are primarily administered as part of a medical examination, only secondarily a forensic one-and the cost gets passed on to the taxpayers instead of the insurance companies, because who funds law enforcement budgets?
No, it’s primarily a forensics examination – designed to gather evidence. It’s a medical examination with an additional focus on gathering evidence of a crime. Otherwise, they would simply call it a regular visit to your OB-GYN.
May 11th, 2009 at 5:23 am“Beginning in 2009, states will have to pay for Jane Doe rape kits to continue receiving funding under the federal Violence Against Women Act, which provides tax dollars for women’s shelters and law enforcement training.
The FBI has recommended such an option since at least 1999
Above from Femisex.com
http://www.femisex.com/content/betchahaven%E2%80%99t-heard-about-a-new-federal-rule-rape-victims-took-effect-press-only-reports-rap
May 11th, 2009 at 10:53 amWhat do you expect from such a backward, behind the times state with a governor that wants to secede from the United States.
May 11th, 2009 at 11:41 amThe mindset in the southern states is still in the 50’s regardless of what they try to tell America.
A state ran by a bunch of WHITE guys what more would you expect?
It would be great if this story was not wrong. By requirement of law, Rape Kits are ordered and paid for by the law enforcement agency that requests the evidence be collected. The law enforcement agency then submits the bill for the rape kit to Texas Crime Victims Compensation. This requirement that the bill go through the law enforcement agency first is not the fault of the compensation program it is a legislated requirement. In the end CVC does pay for the rape kit. CVC can not control how, when, or who the hospitals bill. The problem is with the individual hospital billing system not automatically separating the charges for the Kit from charges for the care of the victim and then following through on the billing of the kit to the agency who requested it. The Texas Crime Victim”s Compensation program is one of the best in the nation. Each and every qualified victim receives a fund of up to $50,000.00 to cover medical, counseling, lost wages etc with a total of 32 separate benefits. The job that the done by the Victim Advocates, and staff of these city, county and state agencies is a thankless one. Rather then taking one case out of context perhaps reviewing the totality of what is done by these people each and everyday is a more appropriate response.
May 13th, 2009 at 8:35 pmThe Executive Director of the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault wrote an open letter to Texas sexual assault survivors regarding this issue on our blog.
http://taasa.org/blog/?p=1024
The letter talks about the numerous problems with the news story as well as the fact that this is not, as far as we at TAASA have witnessed, a recurring problem in Texas.
May 15th, 2009 at 11:59 am