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Democrats Falsely Claim Paul Ryan Tried to 'Redefine Rape'
Weekly Standard ^ | August 22, 2012 | JOHN MCCORMACK

Posted on 08/23/2012 1:26:20 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife

Democrats are trying to use Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin's bizarre and offensive comments about rape and pregnancy to smear GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan. And many journalists are playing along.

According to Chris Good of ABC News:

>>>Now with Akin making headlines, Democrats will seek to tie Ryan to the Missouri congressman by highlighting social-issues legislation on which they've partnered.

Akin and Ryan cosponsored a 2011 bill, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act, that would redefine rape as "forcible rape," narrowing the scope of what's considered rape in cases of abortion.<<<

The ABC journalist reports as fact the claim that the bill would "redefine rape" and narrow "the scope of what's considered rape in cases of abortion." But ABC provides no evidence to support this claim. The intent of the word "forcible" was to prevent taxpayer-funding of abortions in the case of statutory rape--i.e. when a 16-year-old and a 19-year-old have consensual sex, which no one thinks is the moral or legal equivalent of forced sex.

By all indications, the longstanding interpretation of the Hyde amendment's exception that allows Medicaid to pay for abortion in the case of rape has always excluded "statutory rape." The word "forcible" wouldn't have "redefined" rape--it was simply an attempt to codify this longstanding interpretation of the Hyde amdendment. Because the word appeared to be redundant and gave Democrats the opportunity to smear pro-life Republicans, it was dropped from the bill.

The ABC reporter fails to note is that the word "forcible" was removed from the final text of the bill. Has there ever been so much furor over one word in a bill that was never voted on?

The "No Taxpayer-Funding for Abortion Act" was not an extreme piece of legislation--it had 11 Democratic cosponsors and passed the House 251 to 175. If Democrats want to smear Paul Ryan with the false claim he tried to "redefine rape," they must also argue that those 11 Democrats, including Indiana Senate candidate Joe Donnelly, tried to "redefine rape."

In reality, it's Barack Obama's support for taxpayer-funding of abortion that's deeply unpopular. According to one Quinnipiac poll, 72 percent of Americans oppose taxpayer-funding of abortion. When will Obama have to answer questions about his extremism on abortion?


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: rape; romneyryan2012; toddatkin; ussenate
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To: P-Marlowe

I’m not insinuating anything. I’m telling you in plain explicit English that you believe an outrageously stupid myth.


21 posted on 08/23/2012 6:14:00 AM PDT by DManA
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To: MuttTheHoople

Todd Akin is a Democrat plant. I think he's actually working with the Obama campaign to purposely lose that seat and help bring down the Republicans this November.

Not. Given his voting record, I think *any* risk with Todd Akin is worth taking.

Todd Akin on the Issues


22 posted on 08/23/2012 6:43:12 AM PDT by so_real ( "The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools.")
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To: DManA; so_real; xzins; wagglebee
I’m telling you in plain explicit English that you believe an outrageously stupid myth.

The statistics show that there is a statistically significant decrease in the presence of pregnancies following forcible rape. There is no way to scientifically determine the exact explanation. The fact is that events like this can cause significant hormonal imbalances in women as with any serious traumatic event. This could be the explanation. Another explanation could be prayer. The fact is that there is statistical evidence to show an anomaly. Akin's theory to explain that anomaly is as valid as anyone else's.

I am not willing to throw a man who has been fighting for decades for conservative causes and principles under the bus because he can't adequately explain a statistical anomaly that nobody else can. There have been scientific postulations as to the cause, but there is simply no scientific method to prove or disprove it.

Frankly I believe that the statistical anomaly may simply be that God intervenes in many cases in answer to intercessory prayer. But then I actually believe in God and believes that he intervenes in the lives of those who believe and pray to him.

23 posted on 08/23/2012 8:04:20 AM PDT by P-Marlowe (There can be no Victory without a fight and no battle without wounds.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

This is rich...

The left is constantly co-opting and re-defining words in the English language to cover up the truth about their agenda.

“Liberal” is the biggest case in point.
Lately, “bullying” means something entirely different than most people have accepted it to mean.


24 posted on 08/23/2012 8:06:54 AM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter knows whom he's working fors)
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To: P-Marlowe

I also believe in miracles but that is a COMPLETELY different topic.


25 posted on 08/23/2012 8:08:33 AM PDT by DManA
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
I don't get why conservatives are playing along with the "social issues are divisive, stick to the economy" line. Whenever the issue is the economy all the libs do is whack conservatives for being mean and heartless. Meanwhile there are plenty of poor people who are alienated by the GOP's economic positions who are morally and socially conservative.

Why are we so ashamed of our social positions? It seems to me that in a sane society Obama's social positions would be even more damaging to him than the state of the economy. But apparently all we want to talk about is money.

26 posted on 08/23/2012 8:10:34 AM PDT by Zionist Conspirator (Ki-hagoy vehamamlakhah 'asher lo'-ya`avdukh yove'du; vehagoyim charov yecheravu!)
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To: DManA; xzins; wagglebee; so_real
I also believe in miracles but that is a COMPLETELY different topic.

Do you believe in Hormones?

27 posted on 08/23/2012 8:11:16 AM PDT by P-Marlowe (There can be no Victory without a fight and no battle without wounds.)
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To: DManA
Agreed. There are a number of issues here. There's the issue of whether rape is substantially less likely to result in pregnancy than sex, there's the issue of the pro-life movement and Akin's role in it, and there's the issue of whether Akin is doing harm to Republicans by staying in the race.

With so much involved, it seems to be both challenging to some, and at the same time, an easy situation for others to exploit.

28 posted on 08/23/2012 8:15:05 AM PDT by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: Zionist Conspirator
..........But apparently all we want to talk about is money.

THAT is what is on people's minds -- their empty pocketbooks, lost jobs, lost retirement nest eggs, their children and grandchildren saddled with impossible debt.

29 posted on 08/23/2012 8:17:25 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: P-Marlowe; DManA; so_real; cripplecreek; wagglebee
The statistics show that there is a statistically significant decrease in the presence of pregnancies following forcible rape.

That's all we need to know. Once it is established that pregnancies after violent rapes happen at less frequency than pregnancies within relationships and/or with consent, then Akin has been affirmed.

The presence of the statistic indicates that we are dealing with no myth.

In fact, there's a real sense to the idea that couples in consenting relationships are more likely to become pregnant. That just makes sense.

That doesn't mean there are NO pregnancies after violent rape, but it does mean that SOMETHING accounts for a lower incidence of pregnancy.

Our Cino/Rino public talking heads, though, have thrown a good, solid, Christian conservative under the bus over one weak statement. Worse than with Christine O'Donnell, who THEY unrelentingly undercut, they are sacrificing a legislator with significant credentials and track record.

I'm thinking they don't want non-manipulable, Christian conservatives in their party. I'm extremely disappointed in Sarah Palin for the 2nd time in a year's span. The first is when she played coy far too long about not entering the race. Now, there's her self-defeating remarks about running a 3rd party candidate with no thought whatsoever to at least looking into a situation with a good man. She wouldn't toss her Todd under the dogsled; she shouldn't toss this Todd under the bus.

30 posted on 08/23/2012 8:30:24 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
THAT is what is on people's minds -- their empty pocketbooks, lost jobs, lost retirement nest eggs, their children and grandchildren saddled with impossible debt.

Abortion on demand (including "partial birth abortion," which is downright murder) isn't on people's minds? The fact that we're about to have "gay marriage" shoved down our throats in the name of a Hegelian unfolding of history isn't on our minds? The fact that it will soon be against the law to even believe homosexuality isn't morally wrong isn't on our minds?

Maybe we deserve the economic mess we're in. Maybe if we don't address our flouting the laws of G-d it's only going to get worse and there's nothing we will be able to do about it. Maybe if we repented like the citizens of Nineveh our economic punishment would be removed.

I'm worried about the economy too. Obama is not only destroying the producers but the so-called "moochers" so many social Darwinist FReepers love to hate are going to suffer from this administration's economic policies. But there's such a thing as priorities. And ours are all screwed up.

31 posted on 08/23/2012 8:34:05 AM PDT by Zionist Conspirator (Ki-hagoy vehamamlakhah 'asher lo'-ya`avdukh yove'du; vehagoyim charov yecheravu!)
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To: Zionist Conspirator

Sir - It ALL is important. However, if this president and his ilk get their way and destroy the middle class — the foundation and all its moral underpinnings will be in a heap of hurt. I think we can walk and chew gum. By reporting the truth about why people are going to go to the polls, I am not diminishing (nor are they) the important moral threads that make America great.


32 posted on 08/23/2012 8:48:20 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: xzins

That doesn’t mean there are NO pregnancies after violent rape,

Exactly. There was NO CONCEIVABLE reason to go down the path this fool did. It is completely irrelevant.

I’d throw him under the bus because through nobody’s fault but his own he went from the favorite to down 10 point.


33 posted on 08/23/2012 8:50:38 AM PDT by DManA
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To: xzins

That doesn’t mean there are NO pregnancies after violent rape,

Exactly. There was NO CONCEIVABLE reason to go down the path this fool did. It is completely irrelevant.

I’d throw him under the bus because through nobody’s fault but his own he went from the favorite to down 10 point.


34 posted on 08/23/2012 8:50:39 AM PDT by DManA
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To: xzins; DManA; wagglebee; so_real

I would be willing to bet that nearly every obstetrician and gynecologist would advise their patients to avoid stressful situations and traumatic events while pregnant because it can cause miscarriages.

Additionally I would bet that most physicians who are counseling their female patients who want to get pregnant would strongly advise theor patients to avoid the same type of stressful situations and traumatic events during those periods in which they are trying to conceive. 

If, in fact, traumatic events can trigger miscarriages or otherwise interfere with the ability to conceive, which has been the standard medical opinion since the dawn of modern medicine, then Akin’s opinion on the issue is more valid than all of these uneducated Freepers who insist their is absolutely no causal correlation.


35 posted on 08/23/2012 8:57:40 AM PDT by P-Marlowe (There can be no Victory without a fight and no battle without wounds.)
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To: P-Marlowe

So what? Completele irrelevant to anything being discuses relative to Federal policy towards abortion.


36 posted on 08/23/2012 9:01:09 AM PDT by DManA
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To: xzins

I was sorely disappointed in Sarah Palin’s knee jerk response to Akin’s statement and her insistence that in the face of these Alinsky tactics to destroy him that he should step down as the nominee. How many RINOs insisted that she step down after her disastrous RINO inspired set up interview with Katie Couric. Palin is a hypocrite. But then all of us have been guilty of that sin. Let us hope she repents and later comes to Akin’s defense.

Palin of all people should know that you don’t jump on the MSM bandwagon when conservatives are being crucified.


37 posted on 08/23/2012 9:06:37 AM PDT by P-Marlowe (There can be no Victory without a fight and no battle without wounds.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

"The ABC reporter fails to note is that the word "forcible" was removed from the final text of the bill. Has there ever been so much furor over one word in a bill that was never voted on?"

Sickening.

38 posted on 08/23/2012 9:15:34 AM PDT by Qbert ("The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry" - William F. Buckley, Jr.)
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To: xzins

I'm thinking they[GOPe] don't want non-manipulable, Christian conservatives in their party.

I think you are on to it.


39 posted on 08/23/2012 9:22:31 AM PDT by so_real ( "The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools.")
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To: P-Marlowe

And since the relative rates of pregnancy from rape compared to sex in a loving relationship is so completely irrelevant to the topic of Federal Abortion Policy one naturally wonders what was in his mind to bring up such a ludicrous topic?

Well let me speculate. Since he, and you, believe it is virtually impossible to get pregnant from a rape due to the incredible stress that results from the heinous crime, it is logical to assume that when a woman DOES get pregnant, it must not have been all that stressful for her. That is, she must have secretly ENJOYED IT!.

That is a kick in the TEETH to any victim that is forced to go through this nightmare. ANd anyone who even hints at this deserves to be righteously condemened for even harboring such a thought.


40 posted on 08/23/2012 9:33:04 AM PDT by DManA
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