Missouri Republican State Sen. Barry Hovis Apologizes For “Consensual Rape” Comments During Abortion Debate

A Republican state senator has apologized for using the words “consensual rape” on the floor of the Missouri state house on Friday during a debate concerning the banning of abortions at eight weeks.

The state rep. Barry Hovis was speaking about his 30 year stint in the Missouri police force when he said most of the rape cases he encountered were not “the gentleman jumping out of the bushes that nobody had ever met,” he said. “That was one, two times out of 100. Most of them were date rapes or consensual rapes, which were all terrible.”

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Democratic State Rep. Raychel Proudie immediately responded to what she had just heard stressing “there is no such thing, no such thing as ‘consensual rape.’ ”

Hovis later told reporters, “It’s my apology if I didn’t annunciate the word ‘or,’ saying  he had misspoke and meant to say, “date rapes or consensual or rape.” He went on to say, “There’s no such thing as ‘consensual rape.’ ”

The bill banning abortion at eight weeks with exceptions only for medical emergencies, passed the state house buy a 110-44 vote. The piece of legislature is expected to be signed by Gov. Mike Parson (R), a strong opponent of abortion.