When one of the books you hold as gospel states it's better to die than give up your purity, this kind of thinking is expected. Sadly, he can't even begin to comprehend why his thinking is wrong.
It's not just Mormons. I recently read about some Christian sect that made a woman apologize to the entire congregation for getting raped. This was in the Southern US.
The excuse for men "she placed herself in a vulnerable situation" is an incredible cop-out. As a man myself, I would not take advantage of that. It's not what a real man does. Of course, I'm older, and a victim of antiquated chivalry.
"I agree that providing an exemption for rape victims will increase the rapes reported. However, I also suggest that providing such an exemption will also lead to more rapes overall — as students will have one less deterrent to placing themselves in risky situations."
There is no credible evidence that Honor Code exemption will lead to more rapes. But since the Honor Code restricts what you wear, where you go, what you ingest, what time you are off the street, how often you go to church, and almost everything you might possibly do as a student, it is always going to be less likely you will be raped because the more restricted a person's life the less likely they will have maximum human interaction and contact.
Insurance statistics show that people who cannot drive and are socially isolated are the least likely to file any kind of insurance claim because they are seldom in a car or out in public situations where they could be harmed. Yes, you might have less chance of being raped if you strictly adhere to the Honor Code but you would also have an even less chance of being raped if you took all your classes on line and lived with your parents.
I broke the Honor Code regularly as a BYU student, not out of defiance but out of ignorance. I had not completely read the Honor Code statement and did not know it included a curfew. I was out after curfew often as a student. I did not once think that I was putting myself at greater risk of rape just because I went to get groceries after curfew. I doubt that any student would stop and say to themselves, "I better rethink breaking the dress code, curfew, church attendance, etc. today because I could be raped and get found out and expelled." If any student ever had a single thought about being harmed at BYU they probably wouldn't even go to BYU. It is supposed to be one of the safest campuses in the U.S.
Studies show that there is very little connection between fear of prosecution and lowering of violent crime. When people commit violent crime they are thinking emotionally and not logically about outcomes. A planned out crime might be less likely to occur if the felon has time to think about possible consequences but violent crimes are more often spontaneous and not thought out. Hence, Honor Code adherence has very little to do with safety outcomes. They may be advisable from a safety viewpoint but not the most practical way to avoid most rapes.
I submit that most Honor Code violations are also seldom thought out. They are usually spontaneous. I did not read the Honor Code statement every morning before I left the apartment or went on a date. And nobody ever described it to me as a safety measure for co-eds. I doubt many students leave on a date or activity thinking, "Tonight I think I'll drink a beer if my date offers me one" or "Tonight I think I'll purposely stay out after curfew". Most of those things just happen. And to punish a student for such a spontaneous decision because their infraction was discovered after being raped is not only unproductive it is cruel. I also think it would give a parent second thoughts about wanting their child to be subject to such policies.
If parents are aware that students get punished for Honor Code violations after reporting a rape, I would never let my child attend that university. Yes, there will be less rapes because there will be fewer students wanting to go to your university.
It will appear there are less rapes at BYU because your students will fear being expelled and suffer loss of scholarships if they provide all the facts. What a hideous way to enforce an Honor Code.
What they fail, yet again to understand, is that rape isn't about sex. It's about power. What does the honor code have to do with that??? It's so very facile to think that if women would just always be in a safe place, wearing safe clothing, doing safe things, rape is not possible.
My sincere wish is that Mormons would simply grow up. I guess that's too much to ask.
I may not be a woman, but I was assigned female at birth, & socialized as a girl. (This was very awkward for me because it all felt very wrong. I just wanted to act like the boy I was inside, even if I acted or dressed in certain ways when I was small.) I am also a survivor of sexual assault, physical assault, & sexual harassment.
Girls & women are told to be "good" & "meek" & "likable", to not be loud or cause a scene. To not be "emotional", or to not react. Because it would be wrong & bad & unfeminine.
Sometimes I did yell & scream & cause a scene when I was being victimized. Sometimes I didn't. I was too scared to in those instances where I didn't. When I was being physically abused at school, I was even too afraid to tell anyone, because I was afraid of retaliation from the boys who were abusing me.