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Groveling Todd Akin Flip Flops, Now Says Rape CAN Lead To Pregnancy
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 21, 2012
Modified Aug 21, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 21, 2012
Modified Aug 21, 2012
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Just when you think you've got it all figured out, a trusted politician turns your world upside down and throws the baby out with the rapewater. After teaching the world that "legitimate rape" victims have a magical biological way of preventing pregnancy, Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin has flip-flopped on his position. In the 30 second campaign ad below, Akin explains that "the mistake I made was in the words I said, not in the heart I hold." Sheesh, politicians will do anything to get elected—next he'll probably tell us minors can get pregnant from statutory rape or incest.
Such a legitimate apology, but will the seeds of Akin's sorrow be accepted by the GOP's politically-endangered uterus? Does it matter? A poll conducted yesterday by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling found that "Missouri voters strongly disagree with the comments Todd Akin made about abortion over the weekend, but it hasn't moved the numbers a whole lot in the Senate race. Akin leads Claire McCaskill by a single point, 44-43. That's basically identical to our last poll of the contest in late May, which found Akin ahead by a 45-44 spread."
In other related fun facts: Rape-related pregnancy is more common than voter fraud! Maybe Republicans can still spin this fiasco in their favor by requiring legitimate rapists to register for voter IDs? For now, at least, Akin remains too legit to quit and refuses to drop out of his race against McCaskill. And for the record he still thinks that rape victims should be forced to have babies—obviously he's not alone in that view. [Via Politico]
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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