Matt Blunt, Governor of Missouri, has recommended $4.1 million to fund a law that requires the state to now pay for rape examinations. Good for him. I strongly suspect that having a strong opponent in the governor's race and the country's increasingly poor view of the GOP might have a bit to do with the decision, especially after all the flack he's gotten for cutting healthcare benefits for the poor in Missouri.

But the important thing is that victims of rape will no longer be charged for undergoing what has to be an incredibly difficult medical procedure. I would say that it's hard to believe that rape victims would be sent a bill for allowing a hospital to perform an invasive examination right after being violated in the worst way possible in order to help the police with their investigation, but I'm not. It seems par for the course for a crime which affects way more women than men to be handled in such an uncaring way.

I don't know if anyone will be more likely to report a rape because of this, but for those who do the experience will now be slightly better, and that's a good thing.

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