Because of the recent statement by Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) on rape, the GOP establishment has asked Akin, who is running for the U.S. Senate, to drop out of the race.
But Republicans have a much bigger problem that goes beyond a race for a Senate seat in Missouri, their biggest problem is that every House Republican voted to redefine rape, including Mitt Romney’s pick of Paul Ryan (R-WI) as his Vice Presidential running mate. Ryan was also a cosponsor of H.R.3 in 2011 which redefined rape.
H.R.3 past by a vote of 251-175, in the Republican controlled House on May 4, 2011, with every House Republican voting in favor of it, including Nevada Representative Joe Heck, and former Nevada Representative Dean Heller, who was recently appointed to the U.S. Senate.
Rep. Todd Akin has put a spotlight on the warped views Republicans have regarding “legitimate rape” during his interview on KTVI-TV in St. Louis, Missouri, two days ago where he said:
"From what I understand from doctors, that's really rare," said Akin of pregnancies in that situation. "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let's assume maybe that didn't work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist."
Now the entire Republican Party is jumping overboard like rats scurrying from a sinking ship.
Senator Dean Heller released a statement distancing himself from Akin as well as his own vote in the House to redefine rape.
“Todd Akin’s comments were unquestionably inappropriate and absurd,” Heller said in a statement his campaign circulated Monday. “He should not be the standard bearer for the Republican Party in Missouri.”
Rep. Joe Heck joined the chorus of Republicans, including Sen. Dean Heller, in condemning Akin’s comments, as he runs from his House vote on H.R.3.
“That is certainly a comment that is offensive, reprehensible and indefensible,” Heck said. “As a physician, as a husband, as a father of two daughters, those comments are way out of line.”
Mitt Romney, the presumptive Presidential nominee for the Republican Party, and running mate Rep. Paul Ryan, where quick in distancing themselves from Rep. Akin, by calling for him to drop out of the Senate race in Missouri as well.
"We do not believe it serves the national interest for Congressman Todd Akin to stay in this race," the Missouri politicians said. "The issues at stake are too big, and this election is simply too important. The right decision is to step aside."
President Barack Obama said in an impromptu news conference in the White House briefing room, “rape is rape”.
“The idea that we should be parsing and qualifying and slicing what types of rape we’re talking about doesn’t make sense to the American people and certainly doesn’t make sense to me.”
The President is correct, “rape is rape’, and because of Todd Akin and is insensitivity towards women, and his lack of knowledge on the facts of life, the entire Nation is now seeing that Akin is not alone in his thinking, because every House Republican voted to redefine rape, or as Akin calls it, a “legitimate rape”.
The Republicans can distance themselves from Akin and say that they disagree with him, but their votes on H.R.3, shows that that is not true.
To see how your House Representative voted on redefining rape, click here.
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