GOP Rep. Todd Akin: 'Legitimately Raped' Women Don't Get Pregant - Page 2

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 8/20/12 at 4:49pm

Why should they ask him to step down. He's just saying what has become standard GOP talking point. Has the GOP condemned the legislation he co-sponsored with Ryan yet?

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 8/20/12 at 4:59pm

Maybe a legitimate rape is where is woman is forced to marry her attacker, like in the good ol' Bible days, thereby making the child legitimate?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 8/20/12 at 5:02pm

Rumor has it (and I have no idea if it's true or not) that Claire McCaskill was hoping to face off against again, since he's such a nutty conservative. Conventional wisdom seems to be that she has a better chance of beating him that she does Sarah Steelman (or as Sarah Palin called her in the commercials she made for her, Sarah STILLman), who to me seems just as awful and gross a conservative as Akin.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 8/20/12 at 5:07pm

I think what he was talking about is all those ladies who pretend they were raped to get their free guberment abortions at Planned Parenthood.

Updated On: 8/20/12 at 05:07 PM

[romantico]

Posted: 8/20/12 at 5:10pm

Welcome to Obama's America. His First Amendment rights are being trampled on. Now they are gonna come for his guns.

Oh come now. Someone HAD to say it!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/20/12 at 5:13pm

Basically, he's saying that if a woman is impregnated by rape, then she really wanted it and was lying. And rape with a condom is consensual sex.

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 8/20/12 at 5:30pm

Rep. Akin seems to have some interesting friends:

“The good people of Missouri nominated me, and I’m not a quitter,” Akin told Huckabee, a Republican and former governor. “My belief is we’re going to take this thing forward. And, by the grace of God, we’re going to win this race. To quote my old friend John Paul Jones: ‘I’ve not yet begun to fight.’­­ ”

"My old friend"???
Washington Post

[romantico]

Posted: 8/20/12 at 5:39pm

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/20/12 at 6:06pm

The brilliant Garance Franke-Ruta in the Atlantic dissects the bizarre belief that women emit "certain secretions" during rape thatr magically prevent pregnancy:



A Canard That Will Not Die: 'Legitimate Rape' Doesn't Cause Pregnancy

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/20/12 at 8:11pm

Hannity lured him into a radio interview and sandbagged him by asking him to step down:
REAL CLEAR POLITICS: Hannity Urges Akin To Consider Dropping Out In Interview With Him

[Plum]

Posted: 8/20/12 at 8:16pm

You can learn a lot of things by talking to doctors!
Other things Todd Akin learned

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/20/12 at 8:37pm

It's just his freedom of speech! Shouldn't we all be going to Chic-fil-A to support him??

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/20/12 at 9:36pm

"I think what he was talking about is all those ladies who pretend they were raped to get their free guberment abortions at Planned Parenthood."

Huh? What does that even mean?

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 8/20/12 at 9:47pm

The fact that the POTUS actually "answered" this "soundbite" disgusts me. He should be above commenting on these DAILY idiotic, (stoopid, dangerous) remarks. There are plenty of pundits and "we the people" to rebutt. (If you answer one, you gotta answer ALL, eventually).

[Yawper]

Posted: 8/20/12 at 11:46pm

It's a good thing that women rarely go on shooting rampages in this country, but at this point the country might be better off if a few did.

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 12:17am

"It's a good thing that women rarely go on shooting rampages in this country, but at this point the country might be better off if a few did."

Really now........

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 12:20am

But tiny, the guy was the only co-sponsor on Paul Ryan's bill that tried to delineate some fake difference between "rape" and "forcible rape." That's what makes it POTUS worthy.

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 12:35am

Ah, thanks for the enlightenment, Namo.
THE 24 HOUR CYCLE IS UP....

NEXT SCANDAL PLEASE!

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 4:27am

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eve-ensler/todd-akin-rape_b_1812930.html

I cried.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 6:51am

Jane....it means there's a faction of the GOP who thinks if rape is an exception to anti-abortion laws women who want an abortion will just lie and say they were raped.
It's the same faction that doesn't believe date rape is rape. The Ryan/Atkin personhood bill they used the term forcible rape. Under their law rape was an exception. But only "forcible rape".
CNN obtained a draft of the GOP convention platform. It includes this: ""Faithful to the 'self-evident' truths enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed," the draft platform declares. "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."
So they want to make the Ryan/Akin legislation a constitutional amendment.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/20/first-on-cnn-gop-prepares-tough-anti-abortion-platform/ Updated On: 8/21/12 at 06:51 AM

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 9:20am

Thanks for the clarification Erik!

p.s. Planned Parenthood abortions weren't free back in my day!

[romantico]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 9:54am

I'll bet anyone Ten thousand bucks he resigns today. Anyone? Anyone?

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 10:10am

I think the much more terrifying possibility is that he won't drop out. And that he will win.


Poll shows little change in Akin support. Updated On: 8/21/12 at 10:10 AM

[romantico]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 10:25am

I hope he stays in

Artur Davis: If Akin Stays, Mitt Romney Could Lose Missouri

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/artur-davis-if-akin-stays-mitt-romney-could-lose-missouri/

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 10:47am

From Erik's link:

The new survey, conducted from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Central time, found that while 75 percent of Missouri voters thought that Akin, a GOP congressman from Missouri, was inappropriate in his comments Sunday about "legitimate rape," they still planned to vote largely among party lines.

Which is precisely why Akin won't step down. He really doesn't have to. It would be fantastic to see people do the right thing and watch him either step down or lose miserably, but the sad truth is, Conservative Republicans are promoting ignorance and they are fiercely loyal at any cost. They are willing to legitimize, qualify and categorize rape to prevent a woman from having an abortion. Especially the men.

I mean, who better than to teach the public exactly what it is to be homosexual than a middle-aged heterosexual homophobic man?

Updated On: 8/21/12 at 10:47 AM