Melissa Harris-Perry's Open Letter To Richard Mourdock: Rape Survivors 'Are The Gift To Ourselves'

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On Saturday, MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry presented an open letter to GOP senate candidate Richard Mourdock, drawing on her own experience with sexual assault. In this highly personal response to Mourdock's statement about pregnancy resulting from rape being something that 'God intended to happen,' Harris-Perry shared that she flinches sometimes at others' touch and that some times of year can be harder because of associated memories. These, she explained, are 'triggers' for her and for other survivors, and she spends her life trying to either avoid or manage these. A political race, she added, shouldn't have to come with a trigger warning.

Survivors of sexual assault, she said, learn not to judge one another's responses to their respective experiences. She then shared that, as a descendant of American slaves, some of her foremothers were women whose children ' conceived through rape ' increased the wealth of their rapists. And even these children, as complicated and painful and harrowing as their births may have been, were loved.

RELATED: GOP Senate Candidate: Conception From Rape 'Is Something That God Intended'

She continued:

I do not doubt the compassion or judge the choice of a survivor who carries a rape pregnancy to term. But the whole point is choice, consent. You see, Mr. Mourdock, the violation of rape is more than physical. Rapists strip women of our right to choose, of our right to say no, of our right to control what is happening to our bodies. And most of our assailants tell us it's our fault. And they tell us to be silent. And sometimes they even tell us it's God's will. That is the core violation of rape. it takes away choice.

Now, Richard, you believe it's fine to ignore a woman's right to choose because of your interpretation of divinity. Does that sound familiar? So let me explain something to you. When we survive sexual assault, we are the gift. When we survive and we go on to love and to work and to speak out and to have fun and to laugh and dance and to cry and to live, when we do that, we defeat our attackers. For a moment they strip us of our choices and we heal when we take our choices back. We are the gift to ourselves and our families and our communities and our nation when we survive. So let me say this very clearly to you, Mr. Mourdock, and to all of your shameless endorsers: We did not survive an attack on our consent just to turn around and give up our right to choose to you. Not without a fight.

Are you sure you want to have that fight?

Sincerely, Melissa.

Have a listen, via MSNBC:

• She should send a copy to Bill Clinton.

• Here come the racist-wingers to proclaim how offended they are at black woman speaking on TV.

• Bada-dum-tiss!
  Good one Gloves. She also forgets that one side of her family didn't descend from slaves. This racist broad needs to get the chip off her shoulder.

• they will show up in a matter of 3'2'1

• Just something about this women I really like , she is the complete package of beauty and smarts .

  Down south , behind closed doors this young lady would be known as a 'Jefferson Nigg##'.

  and is never meant to be CONDESCENDING , in it's twisted Southern fashion the term is indeed '' every way a compliment.

• WE HAVE ALL BEEN SLAVES to SOMETHING or SOMEBODY !
  ALL OF US

• That was a touching letter from someone I highly respect'

• HAHA

  You guys are hilarious.

  Defy racism with this?

  racist broad?

  broad?

  HAHAHAHA

  You're a joke.

• The Bible was very clear about rape and slaves. In Exodus 21:4 God says that if a man gives a wife to his slave, the wife and children belong to the master. In Deuteronomy 22:28-29 God says that if a man lays hold of and lies with a virgin and it becomes known, he has to pay the father 50 shekels of silver and marry her.

• You are a repulsive racist pig. Go crawl back under your rock, you creep.

• You are a repulsive racist pig. Go crawl back under your rock, you jerk. Who the hell do you think you are? Sounds to me like you have a lot of guilt.

• I understand, appreciate and at the same time abhor your message. The statement that might be made behind closed doors is in and of itself racist. Granted, many people will disagree with me because in Southern fashion, the thoughts that describe an intelligent, attractive Black person has been taught to whites in the South throughout their life. It has become a way of life and in their minds it is indeed a compliment. The compliment though is an insult. Why should there be any difference between the way a smart white and a smart Black person be described or looked upon for their intelligence and beauty? Why are they both not just purely humans who have brains and beauty?

• Very powerful testimony there, Dr. Harris-Perry. Thank you and stay strong.

• I don't know where you are from or whether you are black or white, but I do know that I have never heard that expression behind closed doors or anywhere else (I am from SC.)

• BEAUTY???
  I would suggest an eye exam before you get behind the wheel of
  a car again!

• ROTFLMAO!