GOP state lawmaker says he misspoke on ‘consensual rape’

A Republican Missouri state lawmaker is apologizing after he referred to some sexual assaults as “date rapes or consensual rapes” as his chamber debated a bill that would ban abortions after eight weeks.

State Rep. Barry Hovis, a former police officer, was talking about some of the rape cases he dealt with during his time in law enforcement.

“Let’s just say someone goes out and they’re raped or they’re sexually assaulted one night after a college party — because most of my rapes were not the gentleman jumping out of the bushes that nobody had ever met,” Hovis said during his remarks.

{mosads}“That was one or two times out of 100 … Most of them were date rapes or consensual rapes, which were all terrible,” he continued.

After he finished speaking, Democratic state Rep. Raychel Proudie quickly responded.

“There is no such thing — no such thing — as consensual rape,” she said, generating applause from the chamber.

Hovis later told the Kansas City Star that he “misspoke” and apologized, saying “there is no such thing as consensual rape.”

Just spoke with Rep. Hovis. He said he misspoke and meant to say LEOs finding out whether what occurred was “consensual or rape.” He didn’t realize the error until Proudie spoke. He apologized and said multiple times, “There is no such thing as consensual rape.” #moleg https://t.co/PGPCqmVky6

— Crystal Thomas (@bycrystalthomas) May 17, 2019

The majority-Republican House later passed the bill in a 110-44 vote, sending the measure to the desk of Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who opposes abortion, for approval.