LORNA SORE

Much more problematically, when he was governor of Arkansas in the 90s, Huckabee pushed for the release of Wayne Dumond, a convicted rapist. This was despite a number of Dumond’s victims writing to him personally - including one who had been raped at knifepoint while her three-year-old daughter slept beside her. Huckabee was apparently more moved by the right-wing tabloid campaign waged in Dumond’s favour, and his influence helped to release the rapist 25 years early. Dumond went on to rape and murder one woman, and died in prison as charges were being brought against him for the rape and murder of yet another.

Staunchly opposed to abortion (which he has compared to the Holocaust), one of Huckabee’s first acts as governor was to block Medicaid, the health scheme for people on low incomes, from funding an abortion for a 15-year-old with learning disabilities who had been raped by her stepfather. This went directly against federal law, which requires states to fund abortions in cases of rape.

[Guardian]

This entry was posted on Monday, January 7th, 2008 at 7:36 am and is filed under Uncategorized.