(Newser)
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Sarah Palin's Alaskan hometown billed rape victims and their insurance companies for the cost of rape evidence kits while she was mayor, AP reports. The state had to pass a law—over the objections of Wasilla's police chief—to stop the practice. It was the only town in Alaska to charge rape victims for the kits, according to a former governor.
A Palin spokesman said the candidate "does not believe, nor has she ever believed, that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test," adding that Palin worked hard as governor to deal with the state's high sexual assault rate. The Democrat who sponsored the bill to stop victims being charged for the kits—that cost up to $1,200—is convinced Palin was aware of the practice when she was Wasilla's mayor.
