Todd Akin Reviews Basic Female Anatomy, Confirms Pregnancy Can Result From Rape

All of us are rightly still fuming following Senate hopeful Todd Akin getting up on TV and making the outrageous statement that “legitimate rape” doesn’t result in pregnancy. The grown man, clearly in need of a brush up on basic sex ed, informed audiences that “the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down,” following a sexual assault. Well, Todd must have reviewed basic biology on that one because he’s recanting.

In both an advertisement and a public apology, Akin cites his two daughters in describing rape as “an evil act,” for which he wants “tough justice.” But although the father claims to have “a compassionate heart” for rape survivors, he insists that it was ultimately his choice of words that was off, not his sentiment.

While I certainly don’t need some painfully out of touch Senate candidate confirming for me how my lady business operates, I find the entire instance of an adult — a candidate for public office no less — making such a pronounced gaffe about half the population’s bodily functions utterly appalling. As are perpetuating mythologies about women’s bodies fighting off sperm during rape. Akin may be looking to amend his wording, but if the “heart [he] hold[s]” is trafficking in “legitimate rape” and thereby “illegitimate rape,” he is hardly securing “tough justice” for rapists.

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(photo: leonello calvetti/ Shutterstock)