NAPOLITANO: Akin absurdity aside, rape never justifies abortion

The Washington Times ^ | August 22, 2012 | Andrew P. Napolitano

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

The criticisms of the recent absurd comments by Missouri Republican Rep. Todd Akin, who at this writing is his party’s nominee to take on incumbent Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in November in a contest he had been expected to win, have focused on his clearly erroneous understanding of the human female anatomy. In a now infamous statement, in which he used the bizarre and unheard-of phrase “legitimate rape,” the congressman gave the impression that some rapes of women are not mentally or seriously resisted. This is an antediluvian and misogynistic myth for which there is no basis in fact and which has been soundly and justly condemned.

Mr. Akin also stated that the female anatomy can resist unwanted impregnation. This, too, is absurd, offensive and incorrect. Medical science has established conclusively that women cannot internally block an unwanted union of egg and sperm, no matter the relationship between male and female. I think even schoolchildren understand that.

What has gone unmentioned, however, in the cacophony of condemnation by Republicans and Democrats, is the implication in Mr. Akin’s comments that rape is not a moral justification for abortion. In that, he is correct: It is not.

Abortion takes the life of innocent human beings who are the most vulnerable in our society. Abortion is today the most frequently performed medical procedure in the United States. American physicians perform about two abortions every minute of every hour of every day: about 1 million a year since 1973. In my home state of New Jersey, abortion is permitted up to the moment of birth, and the state will even pay for it if the mother meets certain financial criteria.

How low have we sunk? What are the consequences of this mass slaughter? How did we get here?

[Gene Eric]

It’s a dubious theory Akin used to bolster his point. But the mocking arrogance critical of Akin is uncalled for. Doubtful these critics can cite the research that supports the absolute certainty of their criticism.

[stpio]

“Yeah let just focus on Akin an ignore Obama open advocation for infanticide.”

~ ~ ~

Thread after thread of hate for Akin, how come no one talks
about Romney, open advocate for a woman’s right to choose
abortion? Is it true, there’s abortion in RomneyCare?

[csmusaret]

How about the stupid “War on Women” the GOP is supposedly waging? The Dems have killed about 26 million unborn girls so far. If that isn’t a war on future women, what is it?

[exDemMom]

Not true. IIRC, government killed some 170 million people during the 20th Century. Roe v. Wade has killed around 55 million, so far.

Worldwide, about 50 million babies die by abortion every year. All of the other mass murders combined don't even come close to the total number killed by abortion.

[exDemMom]

In a now infamous statement, in which he used the bizarre and unheard-of phrase “legitimate rape,” the congressman gave the impression that some rapes of women are not mentally or seriously resisted.

I'm very surprised that a judge cannot recognize a simple misspeak, when it is clear from the context that Akin meant something along the lines of "bona fide" rape. A judge, of all people, should be aware that a not insignificant number of rape claims are pure fabrications.

[exDemMom]

If you want to argue that raped women have to have the rapist baby,then I’m out.

Statistically, victims of rape who become pregnant are less likely to abort the baby than women who choose to become pregnant. The idea that a pregnant rape victim only wants to kill the child is abortion advocacy propaganda that is not supported by facts.

[exDemMom]

Medical science has established conclusively that women cannot internally block an unwanted union of egg and sperm, no matter the relationship between male and female.

I think even schoolchildren understand that.

Akin and his Luddite supporters will dispute that.

It takes more than just fertilization to cause pregnancy. It also takes implantation.

Around 50% of fertilized ova never implant. Of those that do implant, 50% to 75% do not survive long enough for the woman to suspect she was ever pregnant. That means that only 13% to 25% of fertilization events result in diagnosed pregnancy.

Given that rape causes physical injury and emotional stress, both creating conditions less than ideal for pregnancy to occur, there is every reason to believe that pregnancy from rape is less likely to occur than from consensual encounters. I was taught in high school back in the 1970s that it's rare for women to become pregnant from rape.

[hecht]

and do you have any scientific data to back up your assertion?

[IbJensen]

Napolitano has never been raped by a member of either sex.

[SoothingDave]

If you think a rape victim having an abortion magically makes things all better, then you are out. Of your mind.

It takes a bad thing and makes it worse. It gives the rape victim something to feel guilty about.

[Verginius Rufus]

I'm not sure what Akin meant, but possibly he was thinking that if you have a loophole saying that abortions should be legal in the case of rape, then any woman wanting an abortion can claim that she was raped and have the abortion (no questions asked).

Another possibility was that he was trying to distinguish between forcible rapes and "statutory rape" which could involve a 16-year-old girl having consensual sex with her 17-year-old boyfriend...the type of thing that used to result in "shotgun weddings."

[zeugma]

I'm not sure exactly how absurd the Senator actually is. He might not be aware of the details, but perhaps his notions should be given a bit more credance.

Here are two articles posted to FR recently. I believe these were actually reported before his statements were made.

Stress signal causes abnormal implantation location and pregnancy loss

 and

Stress Puts Double Whammy On Reproductive System, Fertility

 

Now, unless one is willing to say that rape is not stressful, then perhaps the body does have a natural defence against it.

While I don't particularly care about the senator in question because I don't know anything about him to speak of, I might just start spamming this information to relevant threads. He may will be an idiot, but he could be right as well.

[ridesthemiles]

If you want to argue that raped women have to have the rapist baby,then I’m out.””

When Judge Nap. gets raped & gets pregnant, he can talk about this topic.

Until then, like most men, he can shut up.

[xzins]

congressman gave the impression that some rapes of women are not mentally or seriously resisted. -----Mr. Akin also stated that the female anatomy can resist unwanted impregnation.

Akin said absolutely nothing about "rapes...mentally...resisted". That's a downright falsehood. And, for what it's worth, the incidence of pregnancy with violent rape does appear to be lower than the incidence of pregnancy in a normal relationship: 2-4% with actual rape and 3-5% with normal relationship.

There is no data I can find about the body "resisting", but their is no reason one can't surmise the body not being as ready. "Fight off" could just be a misstatement that meant to say 'receptive'.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

when it is clear from the context that Akin meant something along the lines of "bona fide" rape.

That's how I interpreted it after I got over my "WTF" moment.

[desertfreedom765]

“It’s her baby too.”

No, that is up to her to decide. This is a special circumstance.

The baby was not created out of love but out of terror, abuse and humiliation and with an evil man. She had no choice in the matter.

She would also have to consider the effect on her husband and family.

Forcing a woman to have the kid would be putting the state on the side of enforcing the rapists will.

[Gene Eric]

>> “It’s her baby too.”

>> No, that is up to her to decide

I assumed you meant the “baby” subject to the abortion. You reinforce this in the following:

>> The baby was not created out of love ...

Although you’re making an awkward argument, my comment is correct regarding the female’s physiological connection to the baby/fetus/cell-matter.

[Starstruck]

Mr. Akin also stated that the female anatomy can resist unwanted impregnation.

I say B.S I don't believe in magical vaginas.

[exDemMom]

I say B.S I don't believe in magical vaginas.

Human physiology, not magic, is involved here.

[exDemMom]

and do you have any scientific data to back up your assertion?

Which assertion?

This passage from a Discovery magazine article supports the statistics I recited from memory about implantation failures and early embryo death under favorable conditions: John Opitz, a professor of pediatrics, human genetics, and obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Utah, told the President’s Council on Bioethics last September that preimplantation embryo loss is “enormous. Estimates range all the way from 60 percent to 80 percent of the very earliest stages, cleavage stages, for example, that are lost.” Moreover, an estimated 31 percent of implanted embryos later miscarry, according to a 1988 New England Journal of Medicine study headed by Allen Wilcox of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The professor is lumping together categories that I separated out, but if you do the math (50% don't implant, and 50-75% die soon after), my figures and his are fairly close.

I'm not going to describe the types of gynecological injury that occur from rape, since that is too graphic for this forum. You can Google it if you want. I should not have to reference medical studies on this one: it's pretty much a no-brainer to conclude that injury to the reproductive tract decreases the chance of becoming pregnant.

Regarding the effect of stress on ova: Maternal restraint stress diminishes the developmental potential of oocytes. Yes, this is a study in mice. Mice are used because their physiological resemblance to humans allows researchers to learn about human physiology while avoiding unethical human experimentation. What the study says is that stress hormones damage ova. Damaged ova, of course, would be less likely to implant and less likely to survive if they do. And this study showed that acute stress (such as that brought on by rape) hastens ovulation, so that it occurs before the uterus is ready to receive a fertilized ovum. In scientificese, they said, "We should bear in mind that an acute-stress-induced surge of LH is shortly preceded by an elevation of serum progesterone from the adrenal glands. This fact suggests that such an elevation of serum progesterone may advance the secretory transformation of the endometrium resulting in embryo-endometrium asynchrony and consequently reduced chances of implantation and pregnancy if ovulation and fertilization took place."

Now, did I miss anything?