Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin’s awful suggestion that women rarely get pregnant from “legitimate rape” is awful for many reasons — a mind-blowing lack of knowledge of basic human biology, the suggestion that many rape victims who ask for abortions must be lying, etc.
The real problem with his comments, however, is that they are essentially part of the Republican orthodoxy on being adequately “pro-life.” For example, VP nominee Paul Ryan has said that he does not support abortion even in cases of rape or incest — only when the mother’s life is at risk. Five Republican presidential candidates — Gingrich, Bachmann, Santorum, Paul, and Perry — all supported a pledge that only permitted abortion in cases where the mother’s life is at risk (and even then, “every effort should be made to save the baby’s life as well”). As much triangulation as the Romney campaign attempts, the “abortion is always murder” crowd is the core of the Republican base.
In the meantime, Todd Akin will still probably win in Missouri, regardless of his ignorant and offensive comment. The Missouri Republican Party’s official platform supports overturning Roe v. Wade, forced anti-abortion counseling, preventing public money from going to abortions, preventing public employees from referring abortions, etc. Much as Republicans may pretend, Akin’s comments aren’t shocking or surprising at all — they are part and parcel of Republican anti-abortion extremism.
The Unpersons 