GOP Rep. Todd Akin: 'Legitimately Raped' Women Don't Get Pregant - Page 3

[Playbilly]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 10:51am

Akin thinks women should put a chicken sandwich between their legs to prevent pregnancy and rape.

WHY WOULD ANY WOMAN VOTE FOR A REPUBLICAN, I ASK?????

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 12:44pm

I've read other polls that say Akin actually got a bump among male voters.
Mike Huckabee took to the radio yesterday to defend Akin and remind us all that pregnancy from rape is really a gift from god.
He said "I used to work for James Robison back in the 1970s, he leads a large Christian organization. He, himself, was the result of a forcible rape. And so I know it happens, and yet even from those horrible, horrible tragedies of rape, which are inexcusable and indefensible, life has come and sometimes, you know, those people are able to do extraordinary things.”
I still don't get why the GOP wants him to resign since he's pretty much just towing the party line.
Horrible rapes created some extraordinary people.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 12:47pm

"And so I know it happens." Oh, that's big of you to admit, Mike!

Keep talking, Republicans, keep talking!

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 12:53pm

"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."

I thought he might have meant that as well, Erik (not that that was much of an excuse for his idiocy). But yesterday he made clear that what he meant was "forcible rape." So he wasn't talking about fabricated rape he was only talking about "forcible" rapes - that is not statutory, e.g. not rapes where the victim can not consent because of youth or disability.

This clarification makes his statement 1) if possible, even more reprehensible than it might have originally appeared, as he has clearly implied that statutory rapes are a non-legitimate non-violation of a victim who, for instance, might be mentally disabled, or, say, 12 years old (good thing he wasn't on the Sandusky jury!), and 2) a stronger catalyst for a discussion of his and Ryan's efforts - they were cosponsors of the abominable legislation - to deny abortion rights to victims of statutory rape.

He is clearly stupid whereas Ryan is not. But they stand for the same tyranny.

Updated On: 8/21/12 at 12:53 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 1:05pm

The GOP has until 5:00 today to force him to resign, in which case the State of Missouri pays for the re-vote.

After that, the candidate himself must pay, which effectively means he will not budge.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 1:05pm

Double post.

Updated On: 8/21/12 at 01:05 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 1:05pm

Triple post.

Updated On: 8/21/12 at 01:05 PM

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 1:06pm

This "forcible rape" crap is ridiculous. How any woman could vote for someone that uses the language of "forcible rape" is beyond me.

Posted: 8/21/12 at 1:28pm

I hope this discussion echoes until November and beyond. In this one sentence Akin regurgitates DECADES of Republican BS and puts it all on the table for women (and voters) to see. First, that there's some rape that isn't rape; Illegitimate rape I guess. Second the old canard that you can't get pregnant if you are raped. Third, the idea that women can not be allowed to make their own decisions about which child to carry to term.

We're seeing more and more support for him and this is a discussion we NEED to have. I hope we do not let up on this. It definitely needs to be a debate question.

[tazber]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 1:29pm

Kirk to the rescue!

Posted: 8/21/12 at 1:34pm

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) bucked others in his party on Tuesday, defending Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) as a "strong Christian man with a wonderful family."
The Iowa congressman, who supports changing the law so Medicaid won't cover abortions for victims of statutory rape and incest, said he didn't personally know of anyone who'd been in that situation.

"Well, I just haven't heard of that being a circumstance that's been brought to me in any personal way, and I'd be open to discussion about that subject matter," he said.

King, a hard-line conservative who is no stranger to controversial statements himself, faces a tough race in a Republican-leaning northwest Iowa district. His opponent, former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack (D), has already attacked him for refusing to denounce Akin's comments.
And now KING to the rescue!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 1:35pm

If Akin were raped by a big scary dude, I wonder how he would feel if we determined it wasn't a legitimate rape because men can't get pregnant.

Posted: 8/21/12 at 1:40pm

See! Republicans pay lip service to condemning him but in their hearts, they know he's right!

"The Republican Party are poised to adopt a platform next week that calls for a constitutional amendment banning abortion, with no exceptions for rape or incest."
No way no how no abortions.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 1:40pm

Akin's position is in line with the GOP platform adopted for this election in Tampa.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/21/todd-akin-gop-platform-rape_n_1818532.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Romney went on record right after Akin's comments defending abortion in cases of rape. RNC chairman Reince Priebus also said Akin's views didn't reflect the party's and that he should step down. Seems like this party needs to figure out what's going on...

[romantico]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 2:19pm

Kirk Cameron? That's the biggest star he could get to help him out on a moments notice? Was Ted Nuggent or Pat Boone too busy?

C'mon guys! He is REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY sorry.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 2:32pm

"This "forcible rape" crap is ridiculous. How any woman could vote for someone that uses the language of "forcible rape" is beyond me."

As a point of information, and not in any, way, shape or form an apology for the Republican majority platform - Akin's, Ryan's or the one about to be advanced at the Convention (which is to make "ALL" abortions unlawful) "forcible rape" is not the invention of the Republican agenda. It has long been a legal definition. And it serves a valid purpose and one safeguarding the rights of victims.

It differentiates rapes that are the result of physical force/compulsion from "statutory rapes," rapes which, by virtue of their not being the result of physical compulsion, would be consensual but for the victim's inability to consent under the law by virtue of her or his youth or disability. The importance of the distinction is not to "legitimize" and by implication "delegitimize" certain kinds of rapes. Nor is it to assert that one kind of rape is as a general proposition more egregious than the other. The point is that in order to convict a person of rape the trier of fact must find - as is the case with any other criminal charge - that certain elements of fact have been proven. Those elements of fact are different depending on whether the theory of culpability is force/compulsion or instead is that the complainant was unable to consent by virtue of her or his legal status. For instance in the Sandusky case, as I understand it, one out of countless sexual crimes was founded on force/forcible compulsion while the others were not so predicated but instead relied only on the inability of the victims to consent (in the legal sense of the word, not in the usual sense of the word) by virtue of their youth.

The operative point therefore is not that there is no such thing as a "forcible" versus a "non-forcible" rape. There in fact is such a distinction. It is a jurisprudential fact and has nothing to do - generally - with party politics.

The point is that all rapes - forcible and statutory - are "legitimate" violations of the victim. And the greater point is that all female rape victims should have access to abortion. As indeed - an equally important issue that is being sidestepped because of the more particularized idiocy exposed in the last couple of days - should be the case for all women.















Updated On: 8/21/12 at 02:32 PM

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 4:42pm

Akin did an interview with the charming Dana Loesch where he tried to clean things up by suggesting he was indeed talking about women who lie about being raped to get an abortion. I guess he doesn't understand that suggestion is as equally vile.
AKIN: "You know, Dr. Willke has just released a statement and part of his letter, I think he just stated it very clearly. He said, of course Akin never used the word legitimate to refer to the rapist, but to false claims like those made in Roe v. Wade and I think that simplifies it….. There isn’t any legitimate rapist…. [I was] making the point that there were people who use false claims, like those that basically created Roe v. Wade."



Women Make False Claims About Being Raped Updated On: 8/21/12 at 04:42 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 4:47pm

So he went from "not all rape is rape" to "women are liars". Excellent sideways move.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 5:10pm

Thanks for the information, Henrike. That makes a lot of sense. I assumed adding the word "forcible" was another way of implying that women often lie and that they shouldn't be trusted.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 5:54pm

But how does this new rape-lying angle circle back to the magical contraceptive secretions he brought up in the first place?

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 6:10pm

That's just the "evidence" to back up the claim that women who claimed they were raped and got pregnant are lying. They can't be telling the truth because you can't get pregnant from 'forcible' rape. So a woman who claims she got pregnant from rape must have really wanted it.
In reality close to 40,000 women get pregnant as a result of rape every year.

[bethnor]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 6:24pm

WHY WOULD ANY WOMAN VOTE FOR A REPUBLICAN, I ASK?????

that's easy: organized religion.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 6:34pm

My ears were legitimately raped when I Eden Espinoza screamed at me for 2 hours during BKLYN.

[CalebMeyer]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 7:54pm

Very funny song
Legitimate Rape

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 8/21/12 at 10:18pm