Democrats Tie Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney to Todd Akin as ‘Dangerous’ for Women …
(The Atlantic) – Mitt Romney distanced himself from embattled Missouri Rep. Todd Akin over the Republican senate candidate’s assertion that “legitimate rape” causes women to “shut down” conception.
“He should understand that his words with regards to rape are not words that I can defend, that we can defend, or that we can defend him,” Romney told WMUR during a campaign swing through New Hampshire.
But this isn’t the first time a member of the Republican Big Tent has asserted this, and in 2007 presidential candidate Mitt Romney sought and won the endorsement of the man who has since the mid-1980s promoted the scientifically baseless idea that rape doesn’t lead to pregnancy, Dr. John C. Willke.
Hailing him as “The Father Of The Pro-Life Movement” and “an important surrogate for Governor Romney’s pro-life and pro-family agenda,” the Romney for President campaign in 2007 welcomed Willke’s endorsement.
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“I am proud to have the support of a man who has meant so much to the pro-life movement in our country,” Romney said in a statement at the time. “He knows how important it is to have someone in Washington who will actively promote pro-life policies. Policies that include more than appointing judges who will follow the law but also opposing taxpayer funded abortion and partial birth abortion. I look forward to working with Dr. Willke and welcome him to Romney for President.”
In Tuesday’s New York Times, reporter Pam Belluck found that John Willke was sticking to his scientifically baseless beliefs about pregnancy and rape, saying that because rape makes women “uptight” it decreases the likelihood they will get pregnant during a violent encounter:
Dr. John C. Willke, a general practitioner with obstetric training and a former president of the National Right to Life Committee, was an early proponent of this view, articulating it in a book originally published in 1985 and again in a 1999 article. He reiterated it in an interview Monday.
“This is a traumatic thing — she’s, shall we say, she’s uptight,” Dr. Willke said of a woman being raped, adding, “She is frightened, tight, and so on. And sperm, if deposited in her vagina, are less likely to be able to fertilize. The tubes are spastic.”
Leading experts on reproductive health, however, dismissed this logic.
“There are no words for this — it is just nuts,” said Dr. Michael Greene, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School.
Republicans push Akin to quit Senate race over rape comments
