|
|
| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| − | '''William Todd Akin''' (born July 5, 1947) is the [[Republican Party]] nominee for one of the most-watched races for the [[U.S. Senate]] in 2012. He has represented a portion of the greater [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]] area in the [[House of Representatives]] since 2000 (Missouri's 2nd congressional district). He is a member of the Republican Party. Prior to that he served 12 years in the Missouri General Assembly. In late July 2011 he said, "... at the heart of [[liberalism]] really is a hatred for God and a belief that government should replace [[God]]." [http://www.theblaze.com/stories/rep-todd-akin-refuses-to-apologize-for-saying-at-the-heart-of-liberalism-is-a-hatred-for-god/] [http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2011/06/28/congressmans-claim-liberals-hate-god/]
| + | Todd Akin is a complete idiot who thinks that women have a choice about getting pregnant during rape. He completely ignores reality and is incredibly stupid and shouldn't make comments about science if he doesn't understand them. |
| − | | + | |
| − | Akin is the son of Nancy Perry (née Bigelow) and Paul B. Akin. Both Akin's father and grandfather served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Laclede Steel Company. He graduated from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute]] in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a B.S. degree in engineering in 1971.<ref name=bluebook/>
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | Following his college graduation, he served as an officer in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] with the Army Combat Engineers, then served in the Army Reserve until 1980.<ref name=bluebook>[http://cdm.sos.mo.gov/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=%2Fstatepub&CISOPTR=99477&REC=17&CISOBOX=akin Official Manual of the State of Missouri, 1993-1994], p. 157</ref><ref>[http://akin.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=2 Biography], Congressman Todd Akin, Missouri's 2nd District, retrieved August 23, 2012.</ref> After leaving active duty, Akin worked as a salesman for IBM marketing large computer systems, and later went to work in management in the family steel business.<ref name=bluebook/>
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | In 1984, Akin earned a divinity degree from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, but entered politics rather than the ministry.<ref name=legacy>{{cite news|title=Small legacy, loyal allies|author=Stephanie McCrummen and David A Fahrenthold|work=Washington Post|date=August 23, 2012|page=A1}}</ref> He was elected to the Missouri legislature in 1988.<ref name=legacy/>
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | Todd Akin has never lost an election, and has repeatedly won upset victories against more [[liberal]] opponents who have spent far more money than he has.
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | A [[veteran]], Congressman Akin has been a leader on military issues in the [[Republican Party]] in [[Congress]]. He is also a minister who has championed the greater use of [[prayer]] and [[charity]]. His family has [[homeschooled]] their children.
| + | |
| − | == 2012 Senate Campaign ==
| + | |
| − | Akin won the August 7, 2012 Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat in a three-way field.<ref name=wsj2>{{cite news|title=Todd Akin's Sinking Ship|work=Wall Street Journal|page=A12|date=August 21, 2012}}</ref> The [[Club for Growth]] and the [[U.S. Chamber of Commerce]] backed John Brunner in the primary, while [[Sarah Palin]] supported former state official Sarah Steelman.<ref>{{cite news|title=Akin case tests power of GOP's heirarchy|author=Paul Kane and Ed O'Keefe|work=Washington Post|page=A4|date=August 22, 2012}}</ref>
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | Akin is running against the Democratic incumbent [[Claire McCaskill]] in the general election. Two weeks after his primary victory, Akin defended his principled [[pro-life]] position by indicating his opposition to abortion for pregnancy supposedly due to rape. A media firestorm ensued (see below), perhaps initiated by [[RINO]]s, but [[conservatives]] defended Akin's principled remarks. For example, Connie Mackey of the [[Family Research Council]] called the discussion of Akin's remarks "another case of 'gotcha politics' against a conservative leader."<ref name=wsj/> On August 22, Akin met with leaders of the [[Council for National Policy]] in Tampa, Florida, who indicated their unwavering support for his campaign.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/80027.html|title=Todd Akin in Tampa with top social conservatives|date=August 22, 2012|work=Politico|first=Kate|last=Nocera|accessdate=August 23, 2012}}</ref> On August 24, 2012, Akin held a press conference to announce, "We are going to be here through the November election and we are going to be here to win,” he said. Akin added, “there may be some negotiations but they don’t include me.”<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/08/24/todd-akin-we-are-going-to-be-here-through-the-november-election/|title=Todd Akin: ‘We are going to be here through the November election’|work=Washington Post|date=August 24, 2012|first=Sean|last=Sullivan|accessdate=August 25, 2012}}</ref>
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | == Comments on rape and pregnancy ==
| + | |
| − | ''See also'' [[Media bullying]].
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | On August 19, 2012, in a local television interview with KTVI, Todd Akin rejected a suggestion that there should be a broad [[rape]] exception to limits on [[abortion]]. Akin distinguished between an actual rape and a false allegation of rape by referring to the former as a "legitimate rape," terminology that the [[liberal media]] then unfairly took out of context to engage in demagoguery against him.
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | Akin's statement from the interview was:<ref>McMorris-Santoro, Evan. "Republican Senate Nominee: Victims Of ‘Legitimate Rape’ Don’t Get Pregnant." August 19, 2012. Talking Points Memo. http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/08/todd-akin-legitimate-rape.php</ref>
| + | |
| − | {{cquote|First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn't work or something, I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be of the rapist, and not attacking the child.}}
| + | |
| − | Akin restated the same fact that has been published in the medical literature, which is that the incidence of pregnancy due to rape is rare. For example, the 6th Edition (2012) of the classic textbook by Lentz confirms:<ref>Lentz: Comprehensive Gynecology, 6th ed. (2012)</ref>
| + | |
| − | {{cquote|In the experience of most sexual assault centers, the chance of pregnancy occurring is quite low.}}
| + | |
| − | An objective medical commentator, citing a published statistic that pregnancy from rape occurs only 1 in 50 times, observed that Akin was not wrong in his medical observation, and that false allegations of rape obviously do occur.<ref>http://www.wnd.com/2012/08/akin-not-far-off-base-in-rape-comment/</ref>
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | Published peer-reviewed studies confirm that stress -- which rape would induce -- interferes with the establishment and maintenance of a pregnancy:<ref>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22687324</ref>
| + | |
| − | {{cquote|stress-related biomarkers ... affect establishment of pregnancy.}}
| + | |
| − | "Hormones and other chemicals wreak havoc on the uterus" due to stress, as reported in 2003 in this peer-reviewed study:<ref>http://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/news/20030605/how-stress-causes-miscarriage</ref>
| + | |
| − | {{cquote|In what may prove to be a breakthrough finding, a team of scientists from Tufts University and Greece have identified a suspected chain reaction detailing exactly how stress hormones and other chemicals wreak havoc on the uterus and fetus.}}
| + | |
| − | The [[Mitt Romney|Romney]]-[[Paul Ryan|Ryan]] campaign, which had already caved in to [[liberals]] on abortion and other important social issues, then ran away from Todd Akin's principled stance in a manner that reflected poorly on Romney and Ryan.<ref>http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/mitt-romney-slams-lawmaker-todd-akins-rape-comments/story-fnd134gw-1226454546819</ref> [[RINO]]s tried to pressure Akin into withdrawing from the race for [[U.S. Senate]], so that a more [[liberal]], Establishment-supported candidate could be nominated. Akin stood up against the pressure and rejected the liberal demands.
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | Todd Akin has stood up against [[media bullying]] and namecalling by [[liberals]] such as [[Piers Morgan]] of ''[[CNN]]''.<ref>http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-congress/2012/08/piers-morgan-calls-todd-akin-gutless-little-twerp-132635.html</ref>
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | === Apology about the Wording ===
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | In response to the demagoguery against him, Akin issued a general apology to anyone who misunderstood what he was saying.<ref>"Akin says he misspoke when making a comment about rape and abortion during the taping of The Jaco Report on FOX 2." [http://fox2now.com/2012/08/19/the-jaco-report-august-19-2012/] </ref>
| + | |
| − | :I made a mistake. What I said was ill-conceived and it was wrong and for that I apologize. [http://www.akin.org/]
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | President Obama tried unsuccessfully to exploit the issue for personal gain with an unusual statement to the press on August 21: "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."<ref name=wsj/> [[RINO Backers]], including Senators [[Mitch McConnell]], [[John Cornyn]], [[Scott Brown]] and [[Ron Johnson]], appeared to be acting on talking points provided to them as they rudely and unsuccessfully urged Akin to withdraw from the race.<ref name=wp>{{cite news|title=Republicans look to force Akin out of Senate race|author=Paul Kane and Nia-Malika Henderson|work=Washington Post|date=August 21, 2012|page=A1}}</ref><ref name=wsj>{{cite news|title=Crucial Senate Race in Uproar|author=Naftali Bendavid and Louise Radnofsky|work=Wall Street Journal|date=August 21, 2012|page=A1}}</ref>
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | == References ==
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | <references/>
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | {{DEFAULTSORT:Akin, Todd}}
| + | |
| − | [[category:politics]]
| + | |
Todd Akin is a complete idiot who thinks that women have a choice about getting pregnant during rape. He completely ignores reality and is incredibly stupid and shouldn't make comments about science if he doesn't understand them.
