By Joules Freiboth, Argus Community Writer

What else could possibly said about such a thoroughly ludicrous, completely contemptible and wholly ignorant statement such as the one Missouri Rep. and U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin made about “legitimate rape”? How about that this heinous statement is just a glimpse into what is to come for this country if we choose to install the GOP administration into office.

Forget for a minute about the term "legitimate rape". Forget that the phrasing itself puts qualifications on a violent and criminal act. Forget that it forces blame into a gray area that's up for interpretation -- i.e. the old she-asked-for-it defense. Forget that Mitt Romney was endorsed by Dr. John Wilke, who wrote about the false phenomenon referenced by Akin, and that the GOP campaign fully supports the intent of Akin's comments, if not all of the words that he let loose on national television.

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Remember that the Republican plan to revoke Roe v. Wade and place a constitutional ban on abortion, even in the case of rape, is now an official part of their platform. Remember that that ban will set back women's rights 40 years. Remember the back alley abortions and the unwanted, neglected and abused children that were the direct result of restricted reproductive rights. Remember that this is a religiously based belief. Remember that the separation of church and state is connected to the First Amendment, which gives each of our citizens the right to religious freedom.

Romney, who speaks about Jesus and the Bible without mentioning the word Mormon in an attempt to hide out under the Christian umbrella, has brushed off the issue of church and state separation as having debatable intent. In an interview with Cathedral Age he made the statement, "We are a nation 'Under God,' and in God, we do indeed trust."

While the interpretation of the nuances in meaning of separation of church and state has been contested in Congress and in the courts for as long as it has been in the legislature, the undeniable intent is that of the right of each person to practice their chosen religion with impunity. And while we may be a nation under god, it is up to each of us to determine what exactly that means.

It is my opinion that Mitt Romney has two separate goals with his candidacy, to ultimately preside over the United States in its highest capacity and to share his gospel with his constituents. It is my hope that he succeeds in neither. I’d prefer to uphold the tenets on which this country was founded and keep my freedom just where it is.

Joules Freiboth is a writer and former social worker who lives in Aloha. She is a member of the Argus Community Writers program and blogs at LucidLotusLife.