A Democratic state lawmaker in New Mexico is under fire for claiming that “rape is defined in many ways, and some of it is just drunken college sex.”
The comment by state Rep. Kenny Martinez came during a committee debate over a bill that would strip convicted rapists of parental rights like visitation, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
The remark drew attention in part because it recalled rape-related remarks that cost two Republicans — Indiana’s Richard Mourdock and Missouri’s Todd Akin — Senate races in 2012.
Afterward Martinez insisted he was being quoted out of context — saying he’d also added the phrase “without the ability to consent” at the end of his comment — and insisted on an apology from Republicans who had first demanded one from Martinez.
“To create a political stunt on something this important, I really think they owe an apology to every victim of rape in the state of New Mexico,” he said.