Ah Nixon, Ever the Charmer
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From the AP write-up of the newly released Nixon tapes:
Speaking to Charles Colson after the January 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, the president said: "I admit, there are times when abortions are necessary, I know that." He gave "a black and a white" as an example.
"Or rape," Colson offered. "Or rape," Nixon agreed.
This a decade and a half after the Supreme Court struck down state bans on interracial marriage in Loving v. Virginia. And 12 years after the birth of Barack Obama.
Photograph of Richard Nixon by AFP/Getty Images.
Emily Bazelon is a founding editor of Double X, and a writer and editor at Slate.
Comments
I agree
By: phpeter | Thu, 06/25/2009 - 08:54
People didn't talk about rape, incest or other "taboo" topics back then. Understanding comments made in the time period they were made is incredibly important.
This raises the question:
By: WSLers | Wed, 06/24/2009 - 12:28
Would Nixon have mentioned rape if someone else hadn't brought it to his attention? The Trickster rarely disappoints, though it's important to try and view this not being filtered through nearly 40 years, but in the context of it's time.