It will be interesting to see what, if anything, religious right leaders have to say about Republican senate candidate Todd Akin of Missouri this morning. That includes David Barton, who a few weeks ago issued a strong endorsement of Akin.
If you had never heard of Akin before this weekend, you probably have now. In a tight battle with incumbent Claire McCaskill, Akin’s bizarre remarks about rape call to mind failed 1990 Texas gubernatorial candidate Clayton Williams. In an interview, Akin said this when asked about abortion in cases of rape:
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.
Needless to say, Akin’s comments are outrageous and out of the mainstream. Even the religious right, which has supported Akin, has gone silent. But it was the weekend, so we’ll give them a pass. It’s now Monday, though, and we’ll be watching with bated breath to see what they have to say.
In particular, we’re curious to see what Barton has to say. Earlier this month, with the Missouri Republican primary on the horizon, Barton went all-in on Akin. Here’s the ad, courtesy of our friends at Right Wing Watch.
What does Barton have to say now? We’ll be waiting.
By the way, one religious-righter who can always be counted on to break the silence, Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association, wants you to lighten up.
So….
Todd Akin makes a stupid claim, and tries to hide his ignorance of human reproduction by invoking some fuzzy crap like “doctors” told him.
First, I don’t believe that any “doctor” told him anything of the sort -he’s just trying to give his stupid remarks some air of legitimacy.
Second, if a “doctor” DID tell him this, he should state the name of this “doctor” so that everyone can avoid them like the plague while they are investigated for incompetence.
Then Bryan Fischer has to chime in with his equally stupid remarks. Based on Fischer’s tweet, apparently Akin doesn’t believe that actual (legitimate) rape takes place, leading to the conclusion that women who claim “rape” are merely slow in their consent to have sex with their attacker.
These morons are so quick to find a problem with any law that gives women bodily autonomy that they obviously don’t bother to think of what falls out of their pieholes before it is committed to the public domain.
If he can’t state the name of the doctor, oughtn’t Akin be charged with practicing medicine without a license, under MO code chapter XXII section 334.250 or similar?
“Misspoke” does not cover the claim that pregnancy can’t occur from rape.
In depressing fact, rape apparently leads to pregnancy more often than from consensual intercourse, even before adjusting for birth control in the latter; see (doi:10.1007/s12110-003-1014-0).
“lighten up,” Mr Fischer?
How about, instead, you shut up. Or better yet, shut the —- up.
Figures, another bigoted pea brainer.
It should concern us all that this man is on the Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
Plav74, I am suddenly much more concerned than I already was. Eek…..
“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.”
I’m sorry folks, but I can’t stop laughing. The Republican Party has now given the United States “legitimate rape” and illegitimate rape.” The new concept of “legitimate rape” should be happy and positive news for all of the rapists out there on the American landscape. Y’all be sure and write to Mr. Akins to get the exact criteria for executing a legitimate rape. They have made a way so you can do it now and not get into any trouble—as long as you do it right!!! You can even pass “Go” without a pregnancy and collect $200.
Destroy Social Security. Destroy Medicare. Destroy Medicaid. Destroy Foodstamps. Destroy Health Insurance. Destroy the hungry, old, homeless, sick, and poor. Legitimate Rape with no pregnancy. Amazing how it fits right in with the rest. Don’t you think?
Satan is working overtime in the Department of Ignorance and Stupidity this election season.
Extremist Republicans in Line:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIgFbqRngjA
These qualifiers are so confusing. I would have thought that ‘legitimate rape’ was husbands forcing their unwilling wifes to have sex with them but that is of course ‘legal rape’ (in some conservative states not limited to the US). But according to Phyllis Schlafly that is not rape at all. Now that I think about it ‘legitimate rape’ (from a conservative POV) must mean raping lesbians because that has been traditionally the way to convert them from their wicked ways. Before we forget it, raping virgins cures HIV infections (ask leading African authorities about it), so it must be legitimate. To refuse would be a great sin.
{for those with defective irony meters: thisis sarcasm but not that far from actual beliefs on the RW fringe}
What a surprise.
If you want to make laws governing everybody’s medical and reproductive rights as well as sexual behavior, shouldn’t it be a minimal requirement that you have at least a faint grasp of the basic birds-and-bees facts of life?
C’mon you guys… lighten up, because, you know, sometimes dung balls win primaries… whoops! I misspoke! Forgive me, I have a good heart- who needs a mind? What I meant to say is that sometimes your tang gets toungled and instead of saying something you fart words which say more about you than you can possibly understand!
Perhaps Akin should forsake the spoken word for the tradition of the planet Marfa, where, according to Kurt Vonnegut, “communication was accomplished not by speaking per se, but by a series of farting and tap-dancing.” However, this is the main method of considering legislation in the House, and Akin is running for the Senate.
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“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”
Abe Lincoln