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Paul Ryan Dodges Question On His "Forcible Rape" Legislation
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Aug 22, 2012
Modified Aug 22, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Aug 22, 2012
Modified Aug 22, 2012
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Rather than answer questions about how his plan to "save" Medicare from Obamacare is "both puzzling and bogus at the same time," or how his entire campaign is just a six-foot deception sandwich with grilled fibs and extra taradiddle sauce, Paul Ryan has been forced to defend his record on abortion. When asked by a Pittsburgh TV station about the legislation he co-sponsored in 2011 that differentiated between rape and "forcible rape," Ryan responded, “Rape is rape. Rape is rape, period. End of story.” Not if you're running on a platform that bans abortion without exceptions for rape or incest.
Yesterday the GOP voted that a constitutional amendment banning abortion, without specific exceptions, be added to their platform. This contradicts Mitt Romney's views, and Romney's views contradict Paul Ryan's previous views.
Ryan also denied charges that his ticket would limit the availability of contraception to women: "Nobody is proposing to deny birth control to anybody." That's exactly what Ryan attempted to do by co-sponsoring (with Akin) of the Sanctity of Life Act of 2009, which granted full legal rights to fertilized eggs and banned abortions and many types of birth control.
Think Progress has more:
Such an interpretation would not simply ban abortion, it could turn many forms of birth control into the legal equivalent of a murder weapon. Many forms of contraception, including many birth control pills, function in part by inhibiting a fertilized egg from implanting in a woman’s uterus. Thus, Ryan and Akin’s personhood bill could render the act of using many forms of oral contraception the equivalent of a homicide crime.
Tagged
2012 election
abortion
mitt romney
paul ryan
rape
republicans
todd akin
women's rights
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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