Posted on 08/20/2012 2:45:36 PM PDT by Da Bilge Troll
Consternation abounds and much political hay is being made about an offhand phrase used by Senate candidate and current Congressman, Todd Akin, where he uttered the words, “legitimate rape”.
In an interview on St. Louis’s Fox station, Akin was answering a question about allowing abortions in the case of rape. He said, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”
In an all too common case of misapplied grammar, the left went apoplectic as though Akin were “legitimizing” or justifying rape under any circumstance. Such a conclusion is patently ridiculous.
So let’s deconstruct and analyze just what Akin was getting at.
The sphere of sexual assault includes many violent and demeaning acts which are not pregnancy-inducing; from penetration by foreign objects to sodomy. Further, not all rapes conclude with an internal ejaculation. Not all meet with resistance as with intoxicated victims or those administered date-rape drugs.
To limit conversation to defining “rape” as the uninvited, unwelcome, violent act of completed penetration in the face of resistance – he perhaps unwisely used the word “legitimate” to describe an act meeting this criteria.
His point: In cases of unwanted and resisted penetration, there are biochemical and biomechanical responses in the female which diminish the hospitable environment for a sperm/egg union. Changes in pH, mucus viscosity, and internal rhythmic cycles which, in welcome and pleasurable intercourse, help to facilitate the union are absent. In fact, fear, struggle and resistance will create a more hostile environment for sperm, and for deep injection. While nowhere near a perfect contraceptive defense… the body is statistically less likely to become pregnant from an unwanted encounter than a welcomed one. This was his point, whether poorly made or not.
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
“Legitimate” was a poor choice of words, but anyone who listened could understand what he meant. “Rape” is an excuse for the abortion-on-demand crowd. Very few pregnancies from geniune rape cases. But has usual, the Dems want to cloud the issue, and as usual, spineless Repubs accommodate them...
Akin has made a gaffe that no Republican candidate can ever recover from. Yes, if he was a Democrat he would get a pass. A Democrat can say just about anything and the lamestream media will provide cover. It isn’t fair, but life isn’t fair.
It doesn’t matter how good of a candidate Akin might have been. He is now toast. If he does not step down, then the Democrat will win the seat.
Plus, Akin will pull down conservative candidates all over the country. Every Democrat running for any office in the U.S. will be running ads with Akin as the poster child for the conservative “war on women.”
How can academic eggheads be so stupid?
Exactly. The only real problem with his statement was that he said "legitimate," but as he said, he misspoke.
I guess they are human as well and are not perfect.
The real problem is that this shows Akin did not do his homework in crafting a prepared response. This simply should not have happened.
My wife should have had around 150 pregnancies if this statistic was even close to correct. And that's assuming that relaxed consensual intercourse in the most efficient position possible is no more successful in conception than forced entry.
So Akin was technically correct, but he was a fool to put it in those terms. The only thing left for him to do now is to make a speedy and graceful exit and maybe run for office in a future election cycle once this mega-gaffe is forgotten.
Most, if not all, self inflected wounds, when committed by a republican, are terminal... its just the way it is....
As a great thinker once said “stupid is as stupid does”
The second a politician utters a phrase like “legitimate rape” he has already lost (though not necessarily the election) no matter how sound some of his underlying logic may be. What a stupid turn of phrase.
I disagree. If “rape” were the only reason that abortion would be legal, then every woman who wanted one would say “yes, I was raped”. That would be an ILLEGITIMATE rape if there was consenual sex and the woman was too cheap or lazy to use birth control.
I disagree. If “rape” were the only reason that abortion would be legal, then every woman who wanted one would say “yes, I was raped”. That would be an ILLEGITIMATE rape if there was consenual sex and the woman was too cheap or lazy to use birth control.
The proper term should have been, “verifiable” or “actual” instead of the stupid words he chose. In addition he should have stated statistics show in those cases pregnancy is rare. Geesh this guy is a disaster! And then he should have SHUT UP!
Republicans and some RATS don’t like to vote for people who are an embarrassment to them. This guy is an embarrassment. He is the “Tom Foley” of Republicans.
Barack Obama is an illegitimate bastard, never forget. His daddy’s marriage to his momma was a fraud because he was a bigamist/polygamist.
This had to do with 'exceptions' to abortion (rape and incest) and even if pregnancy was rare in the case of rape, it still happens, so what is the point of even bringing it up?
It doesn’t matter what he meant or how he mispoke, he has to quit or McCaskill will win. That is the simple reality.
A congressman that has sex with underage boys is comparable to a conservative that believes there would be false claims of rape if abortion were illegal with a rape exception allowed?
We can argue every side of Akin’s gaffe, but is anyone else JUST SICK TO DEATH of having to fancy dance around the Goddess of Infanticide (and all her touchy worshipers)? She’ll use an innocent rape victim to distract but what she’s really after is that sacrifice!
Barack Øbama is an illegitimate President.
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