![]() ![]() Time magazine noted that they were unable to find a law enforcement official familiar with the term "legitimate rape":īut is "legitimate rape" really a law enforcement term? We asked some experts. It doesn't make any sense to say 'a conservative is saying that rape is legitimate,' that doesn’t even add up." ![]() "This was intentionally misunderstood and twisted for political purposes. So before any of the facts are in, they call it a legitimate case of rape," explained Aiken.Īkin believes that everyone took what he said out of context. "A woman calls a police station, the police investigate, she says 'I've been raped,' they investigate that. "Legitimate rape is a law enforcement term, it's an abbreviation for 'legitimate case of rape,'” he told Chuck Todd. Two years later, while appearing in another television interview with MSNBC to promote his new book Firing Back, Akin asserted that "legitimate rape" was a law enforcement term and that his original remark had been "intentionally misunderstood": I also recognize that there are those who, like my opponent, support abortion and I understand I may not have their support in this election. But I believe deeply in the protection of all life and I do not believe that harming another innocent victim is the right course of action. I recognize that abortion, and particularly in the case of rape, is a very emotionally charged issue. Those who perpetrate these crimes are the lowest of the low in our society and their victims will have no stronger advocate in the Senate to help ensure they have the justice they deserve. In reviewing my off-the-cuff remarks, it's clear that I misspoke in this interview and it does not reflect the deep empathy I hold for the thousands of women who are raped and abused every year. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.”Īfter his words touched off widespread outrage, Akin then issued a statement maintaining that his remarks were "off-the-cuff" and that he "misspoke in this interview":Īs a member of Congress, I believe that working to protect the most vulnerable in our society is one of my most important responsibilities, and that includes protecting both the unborn and victims of sexual assault. During that interview, Akin was asked whether he believed abortion was justified in cases of rape, and he responded by asserting that "legitimate rapes" rarely resulted in pregnancy: "It seems to be, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, it’s really rare. Representative Todd Akin of Missouri, a Republican who was challenging incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill for her seat in the U.S. "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to shut that thing down." ![]() "Looking back, I realize it was insensitive and had no place at the campfire or in any setting." ![]() I had no intention in my heart to hurt anyone, especially those women who have been traumatized by rape. Williams said: "I feel just terrible about this. It wasn't a serious statement."īut his campaign issued a statement in which Mr. Williams said: "I'm not going to give you a serious answer. "It's a working cow camp, a tough world where you can get kicked in the testicles if you're not careful."Īsked if some people might be offended, Mr. "That's not a Republican women's club that we were having this morning," he said. Williams said it was merely a joke and apologized "if anyone's offended." Later that day Williams asserted that his comment had been a joke, and a few days later his campaign offered an apologetic statement about it: As he sat around a campfire with ranch hands, campaign workers, and reporters, Williams likened that day's cold, foggy weather to rape, saying, "If it's inevitable, just relax and enjoy it." On 24 March 1990, Texas oilman Clayton Williams, the Republican nominee in the Lone Star State's upcoming gubernatorial election, was preparing for a cattle roundup at his West Texas ranch while undesirable weather conditions threatened to spoil the event. ![]()
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