The comments made by Congressman Todd Akin which suggested that rape victims have an instinctive ability to prevent their own pregnancies, have made international headlines, reinvigorating Democratic charges of a Republican war on women's rights and leading the Missouri politician to insist he 'misspoke.'
First and fastest to dissociate themselves from Akin's comments at the weekend were presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan, who insisted they did not share Akin’s theories on 'legitimate rape.'
Speaking to the press on Sunday, Akin said he opposed allowing rape victims to have abortions because, he claimed, pregnancy through rape is 'really rare.'
'If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down,' he explained, citing unnamed doctors who he alleged supported his theory.
A firestorm of criticism and open mockery followed, until Akin felt pressured to release a statement saying: 'It's clear that I misspoke in this interview and it does not reflect the deep empathy I hold for the thousands of women who are raped and abused every year.'
According to the New York Daily News, on Sunday the Romney campaign released a statement through spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg saying: 'Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan disagree with Mr. Akin's statement, and a Romney-Ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape.'
Critics immediately recalled that as a congressional candidate in 1998, Paul Ryan said he opposed all forms of abortion, including in cases where a woman had been raped. Ryan's only exception was in cases where the mother’s life was in danger.
Last year, Ryan co-sponsored federal legislation called the 'Sanctity of Human Life Act' meant to 'provide that human life shall be deemed to begin with fertilization' which if enacted would essentially outlaw abortion and even some forms of birth control.
Akin, a six-term congressman, hopes to unseat incumbent Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill in November and has refused to bow to pressure to withdraw from the race. He has said that he can not understand why he should step down for holding views that his fellow party members actually share.
Meanwhile, McCaskill told MSNBC’s Morning Joe program that the 'legitimate rape' interview offered 'a window into Todd Akin's mind.'
'For most Missourans, I hope this is a gut-check moment when they realize this is not somebody we want speaking for us on the floor of the United States Senate,' she said.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.seanomelb | Aug 23, 2012, 06:23 PM EDT
Now we have Dolan praying at the GOP convention. Dolan would shake hands with the devil to gain the spotlight
eiriamach | Aug 23, 2012, 03:22 PM EDT
At birth, Briano, when they begin to have the opportunity to become persons. In the USA, with very rare, mostly emergency exceptions, they have the protection of the law from end of first trimester in utero, which is far better than they'd have in many other places and a fair balance with the human rights of the pregnant woman.
BrianO | Aug 23, 2012, 01:48 PM EDT
Eiriamach, I know your position, when do you believe these entities acquire human rights?
rugbyplayer | Aug 23, 2012, 11:37 AM EDT
Akin is only repeating what the GOP has been forcing down the throats of American women for the past thirty years.Romney and Ryan, both phoneys, also quietly believe Akin but are trying to fool the American electorate about their real intentions: the continuing coup against the USA begun by Ronald Reagan.
pilib04 | Aug 23, 2012, 09:21 AM EDT
So, Phlutie, what you are trying to say in your post is that Claire McCaskell is a master politician?
pilib04 | Aug 23, 2012, 09:09 AM EDT
I think that Paul Ryan trying to disassociate himself from his friend Todd Akin is hysterical. Ryan and Akin routinely promote anti-abortion legislation in Congress. While Akin prefers the term "legitimate" rape, Ryan prefers the term "forcible" rape. Both agree that rape is not a reason to allow a woman to have an abortion.
lokionline | Aug 23, 2012, 01:05 AM EDT
As predicted, the issue of women's reproductive rights is killing the Republican campaign.
The idea of banning abortion in any circumstances other than to preserve the life of the mother is now mainstream Republican policy as decided this week by the Republican Party Policy committee under Virginia Governor Bob (Ultrasound) McDonald.
Romney has flipped again and now claims his platform does not ban Abortions for rape victims, despite Ryan co-sponsoring a National person-hood bill with Todd Aikin.
It looks like the right wing and farther-right wing of the Republican party are heading for a showdown. Should be fun...
jamthecat | Aug 22, 2012, 09:58 PM EDT
Phlutie, you're a phake. Aikin is the Tea Party's preferred candidate. All Claire did was point out he's the more conservative of the Republicans running, so the TPs flocked around him like bear around honey. BTW, politics is a contact sport; you can't whimper and cry when a person or group you've hit turn around and hit you back. That just makes you look like a baby.
seanomelb | Aug 22, 2012, 09:52 PM EDT
The loneliness of the long distant runners trying to runaway from the party platform. What a pair of eejits.
Cyn | Aug 22, 2012, 09:40 PM EDT
Try all they want, they are not succeeding. Akin is only in trouble with the GOP because he said out loud what they have planned, (see bill proposals and voting records) for all women in the US. We will be voting for our equal rights to our bodies as citizens. Civil rights trumps the economy. I am not willing to doom my grandchildren's civil rights. Period.
eiriamach | Aug 22, 2012, 05:34 PM EDT
Whatever the pregnancy rate from rape is, it does not reduce women's right to have abortion available for more than 32,000 impregnated rape victims each year. Half or more of all the females impregnated by rapists abort their pregnancies. Some cannot afford the procedure or, as children or adolescents, they do not realize they are pregnant until it's too late to abort, or they do not know how to obtain the procedure. It's every female's right to refuse to bring an enforced pregnancy to term and no male predator's right to have a law that coerces a woman into bearing his offspring. The GOP platform, written (as the L.A. Times reports) by Romney's team, includes the statement "We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children." Under such an amendment, a fertilized ovum would have equality under the law with a pregnant female, and rapists would gain the right to use female bodies as incubators for nine months after raping them! Today's GOP is light years to the right from the GOP that introduced in 1923 the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to give women full legal equality with men.
Eschetic | Aug 22, 2012, 05:05 PM EDT
Our two presumptive nominees "distance themselves" from the all too typical remarks from their Missouri ticket-mate; Romney himself tries to "distance himself" from the proudest accomplishments of his term as Massachusetts Governor. This year's GOP banner carriers certainly are re-defining the meaning of the term "running"!
BrianO | Aug 22, 2012, 04:15 PM EDT
Did you read the hard hitting piece Irish Central did on Obama today, Obama finally speaks out on his friendship with actor george Clooney, and you can attend a fund raiser for $1000 a pop, how will Obama recover from hard hitting journalism like this.
ReturnedYank | Aug 22, 2012, 03:43 PM EDT
The Taliban called. They want their belief system back.
Nicomax | Aug 22, 2012, 01:21 PM EDT
I think the GOP should just once and for all agree that consistency is the best political strategy, and run on a Taliban-like platform. Religious belief trumps secular laws, only certain religious sects matter, the others will be marginalized, if not deported, and women will be reminded of their true biblical role as second class, but much appreciated citizens.
McNamara31 | Aug 22, 2012, 01:20 PM EDT
skellmeyer Ask any women and they can define this quite clearly: Rape is Rape. End of story; no need for clarification. The conservatives who are playing with issues like these just dig themselves a deeper grave with voting class women. This will also hurt Ryan because of all the legislation Ryan co authored with Atkin in the past.
CitizenWhy | Aug 22, 2012, 12:58 PM EDT
Will Paul Ryna distanc e himself from Romeny for two things that Cathoolic bishops condemn: ... 1. Abortion. Romney was an active investor/manager of Stericycle, which disposed of aborted fetuses. Bain Capital lied about Romeny's involvement but government documents, with Romney's signature, show he was actively involved. ... 2. In-vitro fertilization. Romney has a grandchild conceived through in-vitro. Romney approved.
skellmeyer | Aug 22, 2012, 10:45 AM EDT
Stress delays ovulation. This is a fact. Delayed ovulation means reduced chance of pregnancy. The only way rape doesn't reduce the chance of pregnancy is if you argue that rape is not stressful. Which is essentially the MSM argument. Now, some (not all) studies show rape pregnancies are at or higher than normal rate of pregnancies. But that's because rapists target fertile young women. 80% of rapes are under the age of 35, the largest class being 14-20 year olds victimized by someone they know. Fertility drops like a rock after the age of 35. Science shows men can detect when women are fertile, and rapists are known to target fertile women. Sex during the fertile period SHOULD result in a 15% pregnancy rate - rape only generates a 5-6% pregnancy rate. Put it all together and the studies themselves show that pregnancy rates are reduced in cases of violent rape. Akins is correct. The MSM's counter-argument is essentially that Akins is an idiot because rape is not stressful.
TheOldPerfessor | Aug 22, 2012, 10:22 AM EDT
Anybody who is still confused should read the Republican platform.
PhlutiePhan | Aug 22, 2012, 09:46 AM EDT
From here in Missouri, I wish to clarify some things about the election of Todd Akin in the Republican primary. When you vote in the primary, you only have to ask for a particular ballot. "Poor Claire" cleverly organized a coup by having mass numbers of Democrats vote for Akin in the primary. She released ads just prior to the election advocating Akin as her preferred choice. I voted in the Republican primary for Sarah Steelman. Because Akin then won, he feels that he was given a mandate. The only real mandate that he received is the clever one orchestrated by the resourceful and I might add devious Claire McCaskill.
Portia777 | Aug 22, 2012, 09:40 AM EDT
War on wombmen continues with patriarchs groomed to believe they have some god given right to make decisions over female fertility. None of these males will ever be raped and impregnated and pregnant EVER,so how can they speak on a matter which is none of their business? The truth is coming to light in an amazing way- makes these idiots look as ridiculous as they truly are.