US Congressman Faces Fury Over 'Legitimate Rape' Comments

August 21, 2012 from Democracy Now!

Republicans are mounting increasing pressure on Missouri Rep. Todd Akin to end his bid to unseat Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill after he claimed that women's bodies can prevent pregnancies in cases of what he called "legitimate rape," a comment he later apologized for. The controversy is spilling in the presidential race due to Akin's close ties to Mitt Romney's running mate Paul Ryan. In 2011, Ryan and Akin co-sponsored the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act," which attempted to redefine rape by introducing the term "forcible rape." We speak to Michelle Goldberg, senior writer for Newsweek/The Daily Beast. Her latest article is titled, "Todd Akin's Rape Comment Was Bad, But His Abortion Views Are Much Worse.

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Todd Akin

William Todd Akin is the former U.S. Representative for Missouri's 2nd congressional district, serving from 2001 to 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party. Born in New York City, Akin grew up in the Greater St. Louis area. After receiving his bachelor's degree from Worce... Explore this topic

Mitt Romney

Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman who served as the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. He was the Republican Party's nominee for President of the United States in the 2012 election. Raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, by his parents Lenore and Geo... Explore this topic

Paul Ryan

Paul Davis Ryan is the United States Representative for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district and current chairman of the House Budget Committee. He was the Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 2012 election. He was born and raised in Janesv... Explore this topic

US presidential election, 2012

Die 57. Präsidentschaftswahl in den Vereinigten Staaten fand am 6. November 2012 statt. Formal sind am 6. November die Wahlmänner des Electoral College bestimmt worden, die am 17. Dezember ihre Stimmen für die Ämter des Präsidenten und des Vizepräsidenten abgaben. Gleichzeitig... Explore this topic

Mitt Romney presidential campaign, 2012

The Mitt Romney presidential campaign of 2012 began when Mitt Romney, the former Governor of Massachusetts, launched his second candidacy for the presidency of the United States in a bid to win the 2012 presidential election. His candidacy was formally announced on June 2, 201... Explore this topic

Republican National Convention

The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S. presidential... Explore this topic

Politics of the United States

The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States, Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments. The executive branch is head... Explore this topic

Reproductive rights

Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows: Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide fre... Explore this topic

Abortion

A forced abortion may occur when the perpetrator causes abortion by force, threat or coercion, or by taking advantage of woman's incapability to give her consent. This may also include the instances when the conduct was neither justified by medical or hospital treatment. Like ... Explore this topic

Republican Party (United States)

Partai Republik AS adalah salah satu dari dua partai politik besar di Amerika Serikat. Setelah pemilu paruh waktu 2006 partai ini kehilangan kedudukannya sebagai mayoritas dalam Senat dan Dewan Perwakilan AS. GOP adalah partai yang lebih konservatif di antara kedua partai besa... Explore this topic

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Todd Akin

Mitt Romney

Paul Ryan

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