Rape is rape

Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan co-sponsored a bill in the House, with Todd Akin, that would have provided rape victims with federal support only in the case of “forcible” rape. He is now backing away swiftly from that position. And the Romney campaign has said that it “would not oppose abortion in instances of rape.”

I wonder what could possibly be forcing such a change in position?

Dumb as dog shit and a terrible human being

Thank God for The Onion. Once again they perfectly capture the essence of a politician. In this case it is Todd Akin. Read the whole article, but here is a taste:

You see, what I said was, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” But what I meant to say was, “I am a worthless, moronic sack of shit and an utterly irredeemable human being who needs to shut up and go away forever.”

Political quote of the day

This is another case of ‘gotcha politics’ against a conservative leader. Todd Akin has a long and distinguished record of defending women, children and families. He has fought against forcing taxpayers to subsidize abortion giant Planned Parenthood, which is the bedrock of Claire McCaskill’s base of support.

We know Todd Akin, and FRC Action PAC enthusiastically endorses his candidacy.

Connie Mackey, Family Research Council Action PAC president.

How much bullshit can one country take? [updated]

The answer to the question seems to be that an unlimited amount of falsehood and fantasy is assumed true by a very large and (at least to me) scary portion of the public.

The latest example comes from Rep. Todd Akin, the Republican nominee for Senate in Missouri who is running against Sen. Claire McCaskill. He opposes the right to abortion even in the case of rape. Why? Because he believes that where there is a “legitimate”  rape, a woman’s body produces chemicals that stop impregnation. The claim is false and I have to ask how any rape is “legitimate.”

First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.

Let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work, or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child.

This is simply untrue. In case you are interested, pregnancy from
rape is common.

Rape-related pregnancy occurs with significant frequency. It is a cause of many unwanted pregnancies and is closely linked with family and domestic violence. As we address the epidemic of unintended pregnancies in the United States, greater attention and effort should be aimed at preventing and identifying unwanted pregnancies that result from sexual victimization.

For the love of God, how does ideology override science again and again in the United States? I know we are far from a properly educated country, but how much can we take of this kind of flat-out bullshit? How can a nominated candidate for the United States Senate hold, and proudly advocate, such views? And why is it that men are always, always the ones who concoct these false theories to support control of women? Why?

(via Balloon Juice)

Update: It appears that many GOP insiders are calling for a replacement of Todd Akin as candidate for the US Senate.