Dispatch from Gilead

by digby

A Tampa woman whom we only know as R.W., was raped. She was treated by the rape crisis center, who gave her two emergency contraception pills, one to be taken immediately and one to be taken 12 hours later. When she reported the rape to the police, they uncovered an arrest warrant on R.W. for failure to pay restitution and failure to appear. After she was arrested, a Hillsborough County guard confiscated her second pill, claiming it was against her religious beliefs.

I can hardly get past the arrest. A rape victim reports her rape and is arrested on an old warrant for failure to pay restitution? Really? That’s the priority?

As for the allegedly “religious” guard, let’s just call her what she really is: a fascist.

If this is true, it’s an obscenity. But it’s a natural extension of what’s been happening with this hideous “conscience” exception to the law of the land. Taken to its natural extension anyone in authority can cite their religion to do whatever he or she wants , regardless of the law. When you look back in history you can see where that leads. In fact, America was formed by people who were desperate to get away from that horror.