The issue of rape and abortion has become a major issue due to the careless comments recently made by many pro-life Republicans. What many of them also have in common is that they have tried to go back on their comments in order to salvage their campaigns.
It all began with the Republican Senate hopeful Todd Akin of Missouri. He infamously stated, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” Akin apologized shortly after this, going as far as airing a television ad apology.
Representative Steve King made his own comment regarding rape while defending Akin’s character when he stated, “I just haven’t heard of that being a circumstance that’s been brought to me in any personal way” regarding pregnancy as a result of statutory rape or incest. King later stated he would never suggest women cannot get pregnant in this manner.
Both King and Akin support the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” which would only allow abortions in the case of “forcible rape” which is defined by the FBI as “the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will. Attempts or assaults to commit rape by force or threat of force are also included; however, statutory rape (without force) and other sex offenses are excluded.”
Pennsylvania Senate candidate Tom Smith likened rape resulting in pregnancy with “having a baby out of wedlock.” He stated this while attempting to condemn Akin’s comment.
In yet another similar situation, Wisconsin Representative Roger Rivard quoted his father’s advice that “some girls rape easy” regarding a recent case in which a seventeen-year old was charged with assault for having sex with his girlfriend on their campus. Rivard is currently claiming that the quote was taken out of context and is being used against him unfairly.
On October 23, Republican Richard Mourdock went up against his opponent Joe Donnelly at the Indiana Senate Debate. During this debate Mourdock was asked if he thought abortion should be allowed if the woman is a victim of rape or incest.
He responded by saying, “I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize that life is that gift from God, and, I think, even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.” Mourdock stated his regret for making the comment the very next day.
So what exactly is going on here? From Akin to Mourdock we have examples of Republican men making absurd and offensive comments regarding rape, being condemned by both Democrats and Republicans, and then trying to reconcile what they have said.
I suppose it could be that they are genuinely sorry for their comments and really didn’t mean what they said, but that’s highly unlikely given the stance all of these men have on abortion. They are all firmly pro-life and use their religion to perpetuate the notion that women should not have the right to choose.
It is only when they realize their constituency isn’t quite as supportive of their extreme views as they probably originally thought that they end up doing some serious damage control. All of these comments demonstrate the ignorance behind the beliefs of these pro-life Republicans.
This is not to say that all people who are pro-life have the same beliefs as Akin or Mourdock, but it’s important to take a close look at the message these men have tried to get across, even if they do try to distance themselves from their own remarks.
What all of these controversies come down to is that there is a serious problem with the way rape is viewed by many people and there is a need to consider the motives behind the “apologies” issued by all of these men because the fact is they are still pro-life and if their comments are any indicators of why this is so, it’s most likely not for a very valid reason.