Under Palin, Wasilla Charged Rape Victims for Sexual Assault Exams

Posted by Melissa McEwan, Shakesville at 11:34 AM on September 9, 2008.

While Sarah Palin was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, the police department was charging rape victims for their own rape kits:

While the Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies have covered the cost of exams, which cost between $300 to $1,200 apiece, the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests.

Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon does not agree with the new legislation, saying the law will require the city and communities to come up with more funds to cover the costs of the forensic exams.

"In the past weve charged the cost of exams to the victims insurance company when possible. I just dont want to see any more burden put on the taxpayer," Fannon said.

Implicit in Fannon's comment is either a belief that most women who report rape are liars, or a genuine apathy that women are raped—because the taxpayers who suffer the "burden" of paying for rape kits have a vested interest in ensuring their community is free of rapists. Only someone who thinks rapes don't really happen, or doesn't care, would ignore the value to every taxpayer of an investment in convicting rapists.

As regards then-Mayor Palin's complicity, Bitch PhD quite correctly notes that it's fair to assume Palin supported the policy of charging victims (or their insurance companies, when possible) for the rape kits, considering that Fannon was a Palin appointee and "in a town of that size, the mayor doesn't get to plead ignorance of policies or public statements of her own chief of police."

Frankly, given that Palin doesn't support legal abortion even in the case of a pregnancy resulting from rape, and that she raised the sales tax to pay for Wasilla's clusterfucktastrophied $15 million sports complex while victims paid for rape kits, I'm not inclined to believe that she has much sympathy for rape victims at all.

Making her a perfect running mate for a man who thinks rape is hilarious.

Tagged as: rape, police, alaska, palin, wasilla

Melissa McEwan writes and edits the blog Shakespeare's Sister.