Todd Akin's Abortion Comments Could Damage His Standing in Senate Race

Congressman Todd Akin might be on the verge of becoming a cautionary tale for men who want to make an argument against legal abortion.
The Missouri representative is walking back comments he made in an interview released Sunday while defending his antiabortion stance. Talking about what he described as rare instances of pregnancy caused by "legitimate rape," the congressman suggested women had the power to stop unwanted pregnancies without abortion, saying "the female body has ways to try and shut that whole thing down."
Democrats and abortion rights activists reacted immediately, calling the comments inappropriate and inaccurate. Rep. Akin's opponent in the upcoming Missouri Senate race, Sen. Claire McCaskill, said she was "stunned" by his comments. Akin said that he "misspoke" during the interview, but has a legislative history of opposing everything from the morning-after pill to delivering federal help to some rape victims. The firestorm could move recent polling in Missouri that shows Rep. Akin ahead of Sen. McCaskill—especially among certain demographics.

[ReliableInsider]

As long as people like Todd Akin never get within a million miles of the U.S. Senate, everything is fine.

[singhsha]

Wow, and this person wants to be a representative for tax payers and decide on laws and how our hard earned dollars are spent. Amazing

[indiefilms]

Oh my Akin Balls.. he needs to shut the heck up. seriously. can u believe this fella?

[brynasims]

Oh Jesus, these are not taken out of context. He really did say that the female body has ways of shutting down so a woman won't get pregnant from rape. And who are you to tell a woman what she can do with her body? What if it was some little thirteen year old girl who was raped and got pregnant? Would you value the "innocent child's" life over hers? If you would, that's disgusting.

[beefyone]

What mechanism of action is he referring to? Evolution wise this would be very surprising and would surely be the subject of much research. For example how did an Austrian man manage to knock up his own children whom he had locked away and abused under his house. Did they perhaps lack a gene set necessary to prevent pregnancy by rape or was it not "true rape"? Fascinating.