Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday climbed aboard the bandwagon of politicians from both parties rolling over Missouri GOP Senate Candidate Todd Akin for his claim that “legitimate rape” doesn’t cause pregnancy.
“His view of women? Wrong. His view of medicine? Wrong. His view of science? Wrong. And that ideology is wrong….Medically, scientifically and in a view of women, he is absolutely, 100 percent wrong,” Emanuel said.
“What…is a little surprising to me is that all of you [in the media] are surprised. All he did was give voice to his opinions–and he got caught. That’s all that happened here…And if it wasn’t for the fact that we’re two weeks before the [Democratic National Convention], the Republicans [wouldn’t be so] scared people are actually gonna find out that’s what he thinks.”
Akin was discussing his pro-life views during a local television interview broadcast Sunday in St. Louis when he made a statement that could change the course of the Senate race.
“First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that [becoming pregnant from rape] is really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down,” the Missouri congressman said.
Akin has vowed to stay in the Senate race against incumbent Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill,despite pressure from his fellow Republicans to drop out by the deadline for the GOP to replace him on the ballot.
During a surprise news conference earlier this week, President Barack Obama condemned Akin’s remarks as “offensive” and tried to score political points–by linking Akin’s comments to the Republican Party’s record in opposing abortion.
“What I think these comments do underscore is why we shouldn’t have a bunch of politicians, a majority of whom are men, making health care decisions on behalf of women,” Obama said.
“So although these particular comments have led Gov. Romney and other Republicans to distance themselves, I think that the underlying notion that we should be making decisions on behalf of women … or qualifying forcible rape versus non-forcible rape are broader issues.”
