GOP state lawmaker walks back his comments calling at-home rape kits a 'novelty purchase' as he defended the 'right' for people to purchase them

• A Utah state lawmaker walked back his comment about at-home rape kits being a "novelty purchase" after receiving backlash.
• State Rep. Nelson Abbott — who supports the kits being purchased and sold — said, "If a person wants to purchase this for a novelty purpose or for a non-law enforcement purpose, they ought to have that right."
• A Utah House Bill 168, which prohibits selling or providing an over-the-counter rape kit, was passed Friday.

Republican state representative Nelson Abbott walked back his comment calling at-home rape kits a "novelty purchase" after receiving backlash.

Abbott's comment came during a state House hearing where a bill, which would prohibit selling or providing an over-the-counter rape kit, was passed on Friday. T

"If someone does it themself, more than likely they're not going to be able to give this evidence to law enforcement and it won't be able to be used to prosecute their alleged persecutor," Democratic state lawmaker Angela Romero who proposed the bill said in the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee hearing Friday afternoon.

Romero, who sponsored the bill, advocates for survivors of sexual assault. She passed House Bill 200, which requires all rape kits to be tested in Utah, according to her website.

During the hearing, Rep. Abbott opposed the bill saying, "If a person wants to purchase this for a novelty purpose or for a non-law enforcement purpose, they ought to have that right."

After receiving criticism for his comment, Abbott said the criticisms around his phrasing was "probably fair."

"I think their criticism was probably fair to some extent because I did use the word 'novelty,'" Abbott told KUTV. "Which I think has a different connotation than what I intended to say."

Abbott told KUTV that he supports the at-home rape kits as long as the marketing is not deceptive.

Utah state lawmakers met on January 22 to initially debate whether or not do-it-yourself rape kits could be sold in stores, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

Those in favor of the bill say the DIY kits give victims "false hope" and can be "misleading."

"The problem with these [kits] is when an individual is victimized by rape, health care is incredibly important. ... That is our number one," Julie Valentine, a member of Wasatch Forensic Nurses, told Salt Lake Tribune. "We then give them the choice if they want to have evidence collected in a sexual assault kit."