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Republicans denouncing Akins [sic] are hypocrites; John Lucci, Jr.; Beaver County Times; August 23, 2012.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“Romney, Ryan, McConnell, Boehner and other top Republican officials are publicly condemning Rep. Aiken’s [sic] statement about so-called ‘legitimate rape.’”
[RWC] Asked if he supported abortions for rape victims, U.S. Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) responded, “It seems to me first of all, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. Let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the [unborn] child.”
The obviously stupid part was “the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” I can’t imagine from where Mr. Akin got that idea. What has Mr. Lucci really wound up, however, appears to be the “legitimate rape” portion of the comment. Though I had never heard the term “legitimate rape” before and wondered what the heck Mr. Akin was talking about, all I could think of was he tried to distinguish between consensual sex involving at least one participant below the age of consent (generically referred to as statutory rape) and forced sex. (Some states, like Pennsylvania, changed the terminology from “statutory rape” to “statutory sexual assault” in 1995.) If that was what Mr. Akin meant, he didn’t make that clear in the original interview or in subsequent statements and interviews. That said, the idea Mr. Akin is insensitive to violence against women is absurd. The bottom line is this; Mr. Akin opposes all abortions except when the pregnancy threatens the mother’s life. Depending on the poll, the percentage of people who oppose all abortions regardless of the circumstances is within a few points of those who support all abortions regardless of the circumstances.
“Even Rush ‘Sandra Fluke is a slut’ Limbaugh said Aiken’s [sic] comments were ‘stupid.’ I’m still waiting for Rick ‘What’s in your bedroom?’ Santorum to utter his words of wisdom. What a bunch of ideologue hypocrites!
“In my opinion, they’re just upset because he probably said it too early. He let the cat out of the bag (like Rep. Turzai stated the true intent of voter ID). Now they are self-righteously back-pedaling (this wasn’t supposed to happen until after the election).”
[RWC] What “cat” did Mr. Akin “let out of the bag,” that most Republicans oppose abortion for convenience?
“The RNC’s platform on women’s health rights basically spews the same type of right-wing rhetoric. Don’t believe me? Read it yourself, and if you don’t agree, that’s your right. If Romney and Ryan (a co-sponsor of the Personhood Amendment) win in November, we’ll find out.”
[RWC] FYI, “women’s health rights” is Mr. Lucci’s euphemism for taxpayer funding of abortion for convenience. The RNC hasn’t yet approved its 2012 platform and I didn’t find any drafts. That said, anti-abortion language in Republican platforms is nothing new.
Here’s the text of the Sanctity of Human Life Act (H. R. 212) to which Mr. Lucci referred.
“Until then, President Obama called it what it is: rape is rape.”
[RWC] Here’s something else then-Sen. Obama (D-IL) said in 2008 at a campaign stop in Johnstown: “Look, I got two daughters — 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby. I don’t want them punished with an STD at age 16, so it doesn’t make sense to not give them information.” A baby is punishment?
Will someone explain to me why people who want to protect unborn babies are evil while those who support killing unborn babies think of themselves as the good guys?
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