President Obama on Todd Akin: ‘Rape is Rape’
President Obama has commented on Congressman and GOP Senate candidate Todd Akin’s controversial comments regarding rape.
In an interview that aired yesterday, Akin asserted that “legitimate rape” rarely results in a pregnancy, explaining, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”
Obama addressed Akin’s statements in a surprise news conference today at the White House.
“‘The views expressed were offensive,’ said Obama. ‘Rape is rape. And the idea that we should be parsing and qualifying and slicing what types of rape we are talking about doesn’t make sense to the American people and certainly doesn’t make sense to me. So 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.’
The comments are the most high profile in a series of rebukes from both Democrats and Republicans. Earlier in the day, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney also condemned Akin, who is running to unseat Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.).
Obama did not call on Akin to leave the race, as some Republicans have done. ‘He was nominated by the Republicans in Missouri,’ he said, ‘I will let them sort that out.’ He did, however, use the opportunity to contrast his approach toward women’s health care with that of the GOP.”
Read more at HuffingtonPost.com
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