An Irish pro-life movement has been forced to remove content from its website in the wake of the fall-out from the Todd Akin controversy in America.
Youth Defence, a controversial right-wing organisation, had claimed on its website that ‘the chances of a woman becoming pregnant as a result of rape are remote.’
The Irish Times reports that the information remained online until Tuesday and was only removed after Akin had apologised for his remarks in the States.
According to the paper, the Youth Defence website said women had natural defence mechanisms which reduced their chances of becoming pregnant following sexual assault.
After it was contacted by the Irish Times, the organisation said it now considered this claim to be ‘unreliable’ but refused to apologise for its assertion.
The www.prolifeinfo.ie website had claimed, “Trauma from the rape may bring into play some natural defence mechanisms that reduce the likelihood of pregnancy, such as hormonal change and spasms of the Fallopian tubes, which inhibit ovulation or fertilisation.
“The chance of conception resulting from a single act of unprotected intercourse even between consenting fertile individuals has been estimated at only 2 to 4 per cent.”
Youth Defence spokeswoman Ide Nic Mhathuna confirmed to the Irish Times that the statements were deleted this week.
She said, “We are a voluntary organisation with a number of websites that are hard to keep up to date all the time.
“We reviewed the information on that particular website earlier this week and decided that the study upon which it was based was too old, so we removed it.”
The report says that Nic Mhathuna agreed the claims had been removed only following the controversy surrounding comments from US congressman Akin but stressed that, unlike him, her group had never used the phrase ‘legitimate rape’.
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre chief executive Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop told the paper that she did not wish to be drawn into a row with Youth Defence but highlighted statistics contained in the centre’s last annual report.
She said: “We had 263 clients who said they were at risk of pregnancy following a rape and of that number 25, or 10 per cent, subsequently became pregnant.”
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.SingleDonald | Aug 24, 2012, 10:31 PM EDT
I fully agree that Bill Clinton didn't commit any "rapes". The politically correct left likes to demonize men for any sexual transgressions, snd even some non transgressions. Yes, it was wrong for him to cheat on Hillary. However, Monica Lewinsky was 22, at the time the encounters began. She later called Clinton, "The Big Creep", which he was. This should convince all young women, and even some older ones, that it is unwise to take up with a married man, unless he is on the verge of a divorce. The feminists, however, want to act as surrogate mommies, and say that any time a man is especially attractive-president, work supervisor, college professor, actor, etc., that any such romantic liason should be "prohibited", as the break-up may be hard. Well, break-ups are part of romance. Even men go through them. When they occur, it is best that we all, women and men, remember the positive things about the dating, and move on. I can assure all that, had I met Jennifer Aniston, before her recent engagement, and had been fortunate enough to have gone out with her, I would have felt very bad, when she wouldn't have wanted to see me anymore. However, I would have always cherished the dating memories, and would have wished her well! (OK, it's nice to have some fantasies, but all should get the point!)
lokionline | Aug 24, 2012, 02:38 PM EDT
It would appear that the use of "junk science" is a common trait among social conservatives.
occassio | Aug 24, 2012, 12:56 PM EDT
Fireplug. What proof do you have that Clinton was an accused rapist? Such statements require adequate substantiation.
Mousemess | Aug 24, 2012, 12:59 AM EDT
Fireplug, When Clinton's deeds with women were never rapes and he was never accused of raping women and never convicted of such. He cheated on his wife though.
occassio | Aug 23, 2012, 06:40 PM EDT
It is incredibly unintelligent and supremely uninformed to believe that, “Trauma from the rape may bring into play some natural defence mechanisms that reduce the likelihood of pregnancy.” What defense mechanism? What utter drivel. Do all of these pro-life groups cut and paste this misinformation and none of them bother to perform due diligence by doing the least bit of research? It is incomprehensible that there are women in these groups who actually are in concert with these beliefs. This isn’t a matter of being pro-life or pro-choice. What you hold as your belief is your belief. However, let us try to travel through life being informed with creditable facts and be willing to accept them even if they don’t agree with our convictions. These folks are like theologians of the Dark Ages: not at all reasonable people. Someone once said that stupidity has murdered and imprisoned more geniuses, burned more books and blocked progress more effectively than any other force in history. For goodness sakes, get educated.
katiemac | Aug 23, 2012, 04:38 PM EDT
The chances of becoming pregnant from ANY sexual congress is reasonably remote. The reality, in the US, at least, is that pregnancy from rape or incest represents less than 1% of all abortions and an even smaller percentage of all pregnancies. Rape is something no woman should have to endure, but is killing a child who is the product of rape going to make the rape less painful, less traumatic, less emotionally devastating? Pretending something hasn't happened; removing all evidence of such an attack, only makes the wounds fester. Couldn't childbirth, even if the child is given for adoption, be enough of a positive event as to allow healing to begin?
WoundedKnee | Aug 23, 2012, 04:02 PM EDT
"It is a woman's body and should be her choice". Sounds reasonable, pilib04. Of course, since you want to leave men out of it I take it you would restrict abortion to just female babies?
WoundedKnee | Aug 23, 2012, 03:59 PM EDT
"It is a woman's body and should be her choice". Sounds reasonable, pilib04. Of
fireplug | Aug 23, 2012, 03:50 PM EDT
Just food for thought, This idiot says something stupid and insensitive and he is the devil incarnate. Yet when an accused rapist Bill Clinton was in office he was defended to the hilt. Which act was worse ?
uppinko | Aug 23, 2012, 02:38 PM EDT
Pilib04, You fail to understand that Christians, and particularly Catholics are obliged under the pain of mortal sin to protect the unborn from death, even give up their own lives to do so. "No greater love has a person than to give up his life for his fellow".
miamicanes | Aug 23, 2012, 01:43 PM EDT
How can someone that old have that kind of thinking? Is that representative of the older folks there. No, before he apologizes he needs therapy. To say what he's said is akin to sexual harassment. Good grief, this is 2012, at least I think it is. And I am serious about the therapy.
fiddlinvet | Aug 23, 2012, 11:18 AM EDT
I would love to know which study these morons are basing their "defense mechanisms" on...... None of them name the study.
mairint | Aug 23, 2012, 10:21 AM EDT
At least Counihan used the right term - pro-life group. And why controversial pray? To not want Irish preborn babies slaughtered is surely not controversial. It is the Planned Parenthood (Irish Family Planning as they call themselves) who are the controversial ones, even evil in fact.
pilib04 | Aug 23, 2012, 09:59 AM EDT
That's the problem with these folks, they lie all the time to promote their point of view. Why not just give it up guys! It is a woman's body and should be her choice, or, using the "Bread and Roses" wording, Our Bodies, Ourselves!