Rep. Todd Akin: No pregnancy from 'legitimate rape'

[Xeno]

None, so far as I know. That was discussed further in the comments.

[sennekuyl]

It's not a paper? It's an article?
A View from the Right
links Christian Life Resources which is a reprint from the Life Issues Connector, April 1999. The links all keep coming back to this site so if the article is based on a paper it seems to be hidden/absorbed.

[owheelj]

Ok thanks. I may have misunderstood this whole debate. That article is merely suggesting that the chance of pregnancy from rape is the same as from consensual sex - but that the circumstances of rape lead to a low number of actual pregnancies per rape. But is this consistent with what Akin said?

[Xeno]

Originally Posted by owheelj

Ok thanks. I may have misunderstood this whole debate. That article is merely suggesting that the chance of pregnancy from rape is the same as from consensual sex - but that the circumstances of rape lead to a low number of actual pregnancies per rape. But is this consistent with what Akin said?

No, it does not appear consistent to me. Akin said "ways of shutting that thing down" which is not "circumstances of rape" but implicitly an active role in whose absence there is presumed consent. Further, so far there is only an article or circular links, no reviewed research.

[rayne]

Not only does Akin have a really fucking warped ignorant view of rape and pregnancy but his original statement that people are up in arms about was stated as a way to avoid the question:

"If abortion could be considered in case of, say, a tubal pregnancy [which threatens the mother’s life], what about in the case of rape?" asked KTVI host Charles Jaco, in a clip that was disseminated by Talking Points Memo. "Should it be legal or not?"

Now I'm not to certain what Akin was attempting to say besides spew ignorance to avoid answering the question but he is notoriously pro-life, those guys love any excuse to ban abortion. Trivialising the rape into "something that doesn't happen very often" as a way to say "It only happens to a minority, why bother" so they can get what they want is a tactic fundamentalists (of any political stance) like to use.

[AUSloth]

Pinched from Greta Christina's blog.

[loubert]

never mind. I've been had

[owheelj]

Originally Posted by rayne

Not only does Akin have a really fucking warped ignorant view of rape and pregnancy but his original statement that people are up in arms about was stated as a way to avoid the question:



Now I'm not to certain what Akin was attempting to say besides spew ignorance to avoid answering the question but he is notoriously pro-life, those guys love any excuse to ban abortion. Trivialising the rape into "something that doesn't happen very often" as a way to say "It only happens to a minority, why bother" so they can get what they want is a tactic fundamentalists (of any political stance) like to use.

My impression is that Akin was trying to say that pregnancy caused by rape isn't a good reason for abortion to be broadly legal (as opposed to being legal only in specific cases), which I guess I technically agree with, but there are lots of other reasons why it should be broadly legal. I think too that this this is a strawman argument, since I think the case of rape is brought up in abortion arguments usually to counter arguments that abortion should always be illegal.

[Bolero]

Originally Posted by owheelj

My impression is that Akin was trying to say that pregnancy caused by rape isn't a good reason for abortion to be broadly legal (as opposed to being legal only in specific cases), which I guess I technically agree with, but there are lots of other reasons why it should be broadly legal. I think too that this this is a strawman argument, since I think the case of rape is brought up in abortion arguments usually to counter arguments that abortion should always be illegal.

I think I agree with you, owheelj. To my mind, the rape argument for abortion is a red herring. Akin's comments are ignorant and repulsive, but to be honest, I think the better question to put to the man would have been something like: "How can you justify denying reproductive freedoms to everyone on the basis of your own personal religious convictions?"

[Sieveboy]

Originally Posted by Bolero

I think I agree with you, owheelj. To my mind, the rape argument for abortion is a red herring. Akin's comments are ignorant and repulsive, but to be honest, I think the better question to put to the man would have been something like: "How can you justify denying reproductive freedoms to everyone on the basis of your own personal religious convictions?"

Correct answer = 0.

FYI fixed it for you below:

I think I agree with you, owheelj. To my mind, the rape argument for abortion is a red herring. Akin's comments are ignorant and repulsive, but to be honest, I think the better question to put to the man would have been something like: "How can you justify denying freedoms to everyone on the basis of your own personal religious convictions?"