How Todd Akin And Paul Ryan Partnered To Redefine Rape

[Tx4obama]

Last edited Mon Aug 20, 2012, 12:10 AM - Edit history (1)

Earlier today, Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) claimed that “legitimate rape” does not often lead to pregnancy because “the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” This is not the first time the biologically challenged senate candidate tried to minimize the impact of rape. Last year, Akin joined with GOP vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) as two of the original co-sponsors of the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” a bill which, among other things, introduced the country to the bizarre term “forcible rape.”

Federal law prevents federal Medicaid funds and similar programs from paying for abortions. Yet the law also contains an exception for women who are raped. The bill Akin and Ryan cosponsored would have narrowed this exception, providing that only pregnancies arising from “forcible rape” may be terminated. Because the primary target of Akin and Ryan’s effort are Medicaid recipients — patients who are unlikely to be able to afford an abortion absent Medicaid funding — the likely impact of this bill would have been forcing many rape survivors to carry their rapist’s baby to term. Michelle Goldberg explains who Akin and Ryan would likely target:

Under H.R. 3, only victims of “forcible rape” would qualify for federally funded abortions. Victims of statutory rape—say, a 13-year-old girl impregnated by a 30-year-old man—would be on their own. So would victims of incest if they’re over 18. And while “forcible rape” isn’t defined in the criminal code, the addition of the adjective seems certain to exclude acts of rape that don’t involve overt violence—say, cases where a woman is drugged or has a limited mental capacity. “It’s basically putting more restrictions on what was defined historically as rape,” says Keenan.

Although a version of this bill passed the GOP-controlled House, the “forcible rape” language was eventually removed due to widespread public outcry. Paul Ryan, however, believes that the “forcible rape” language does not actually go far enough to force women to carry their rapist’s baby. Ryan believes that abortion should be illegal in all cases except for “cases in which a doctor deems an abortion necessary to save the mother’s life.” So rape survivors are out of luck.

-snip-

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/08/19/712251/how-todd-akin-and-paul-ryan-partnered-to-redefine-rape/

[Kadie]

1. K&R n/t

[CTyankee]

2. I think that Ryan should take Todd Akin with him on campaign stops. They could yammer on

about "legitimate" and "non-legitimate" rape. Tell the folks. Especially the wimmin folk. Yep. that'll work. Great idea!

[cr8tvlde]

3. Boy, has poor, formerly Moderate, Mitt lost control of this election to the RWCrazies.

although personally, I welcome Todd Akin to their team...maybe Secretary of State wannabe. Going to be a very long campaign for the Republicans and interesting for the rest of us. Maybe this is a secret play to get rid of Mitt and get a Ryan/Akin ticket????

[part man all 86]

4. Men and their stupid definitions.

16 of the 21 wonderful ladies I have dated have been either raped, beaten, molested, or blown up by explosives all perpetuated by men. I am tired of the males defining rape when it is mainly the women who live and suffer rape. Male dominated laws on women issues, stop this nonsense. I literally hate the 'blame the victim' mentality and their enablers.

[Angry Dragon]

6. +255

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

5. Thanks so much for this!! Sending to everyone I know...

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. The two buddies (pic)

[Coyotl]

8. Go to the DU Photoshop thread here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/125173320

[Hubert Flottz]

18. When you look at those two rape "EXPERTS"

you have to figure that they know so much about rape, because a woman would have to have a serious grudge against her own body and mind to ever have consensual sex with either one of those goons.

[Quixote1818]

9. k and r

[Quixote1818]

10. This should be at the top of the greatest page. nt

[CrispyQ]

11. These guys & their cohorts are a threat to all women.

I do not understand repub women. How can they vote for these fucks?

[atreides1]

12. As I've said before

The Republican Party is the pro-Rape, pro-Incest party...and everyone needs to remind any Republican they know....

[RBInMaine]

13. Get this up on ads RIGHT NOW.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

14. My theory:

They hate women, they are homosexuals and in the closet. They don't understand women's bodies, and don't want to understand them. They've gotten no further than the "Oooh girls have cooties" stage.

Like a certain conservative ex-husband of mine, who told me "Women are strange."

Whereas the man I have now says, "Vive le difference".

[freshwest]

15. Don't let go, keep it going.

[Gabby Hayes]

16. Here's what rape looks and sounds like

I was walking home one day when I was 10 and began to hear muffled bursts of screaming and shouting from a neighbor's house. By the time I could get my parents, the neighbor lady was in a back room trying to beat the windows out with an iron and her fists. The attacker had torn off her clothes and punched her no telling how many times. There was blood everywhere. As my parents tried to force the windows open from the outside, she reached through one of the broken panes and asked my mother to hold her hand while she died. She did survive, though, and the attacker was captured and sent to prison. The neighbor lady was new to the neighborhood and we never saw her again after the ambulance took her away. I was too young to notice if she was pretty or sexy, but I still remember thinking no one deserved this. I hope she somehow senses that a little boy grew up wondering about her and and hoping people looked her in the eye, because she didn't do anything wrong.

[Scalded Nun]

17. wake up

The right is upset, not for what Akin believes, but for how he said it. He partially opened a small curtain in a small window of their world for outsiders to see. They do not like that (the truth about how they feel and what they want to really do). They only want their agenda shown as a packaged and glittery object.

They can sell that in this country.

If they get control then Akin's vision/world becomes the world we must live in. Do not think for a moment it will be any other way.

[SoapBox]

19. It's just sick.

And RepubliCON women support all this crap?

Amazing.