Todd Akin, in a TV interview, on his stance against abortion even in the case of rape (from Huffington Post):
"From what I understand from doctors, that's really rare," said Akin said of pregnancy caused by rape. "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."What?!? Seriously? Do tell, Rep. Akin, what are these mystical powers that a woman's body has to prevent impregnation in the event of rape? And what doctors told you this? Probably the same doctors that qualify for funds in the "pregnancy crisis centers" touted by anti-abortionists in TX.
But wait, there's more (from TPM):
“Let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work, or something,” Akin said. “I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child.”This is fantastic. He mentions the rapist and the resulting child, but NOT THE WOMAN WHO WAS RAPED. That's because to Todd Akin, and to the scores of other crusty old male lawmakers, WOMEN ARE INVISIBLE. They don't even factor into the equation. It obviously hasn't occurred to this oblivious asshole that being raped is absolutely horrific, but carrying to term and birthing an unwanted child conceived of the rape will punish the victim for the duration of the pregnancy and longer, possibly for life.
These ridiculously misguided statements come on the heels of a radio interview where he demonstrated his ignorance of the difference between emergency contraception and the abortion pill (from The Raw Story):
“As far as I’m concerned, the morning-after pill is a form of abortion,” he told KCMO’s Greg Knapp, “and I think we shouldn’t have abortion in this country.”As Planned Parenthood Missouri Advocates points out,
"The fact is that emergency contraception prevents pregnancy. Abortion ends a pregnancy."And also:
"Representative Todd Akin’s false statement illustrates exactly why politicians should not be meddling in women’s personal medical decisions"Why is this guy getting so much press anyway? Because he is the Republican nominee for Senate in Missouri. Let's hope that Democrat and women's advocate Clare McCaskill wins that one. In the words of my friend in MO, "Fuck you, Akin!"
(Also, check out the slide show at the bottom of the Huffington Post story, "Lies GOP tells about women's bodies")
More on the Akin flap (8/21/12):
Compares the changing political stance regarding women to that of climate change:
An open letter to Akin from Renee Davis, the National Alliance Director for UniteWomen.org:
Discusses Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) of Missouri and her support for Akin in the Republican primary. I generally disagree with these types of tactics, but wow the implications could be huge. This article makes it seem as though McCaskill ran ads in favor of Akin, whereas another source (I can't remember where I saw it) stated that she ran attack ads against all three Republican contenders, and that the ads against Akin were decidedly less negative. :\
Despite Paul Ryan's support of a personhood amendment, Romney's belief in a rape exception for abortion is the official Republican ticket stance:
However, apparently the GOP platform drawn up in preparation of the RNC includes no exceptions for rape or incest:
Is it terrible to hope tropical storm Isaac hits the RNC in Tampa? Yeah, probably so.
Surly Thor has Words for Todd Akin LOLZ
http://angryblackladychronicles.com/2012/08/22/surly-thor-has-words-for-todd-akin/
Surly Thor has Words for Todd Akin LOLZ
http://angryblackladychronicles.com/2012/08/22/surly-thor-has-words-for-todd-akin/
No comments:
Post a Comment