Changes
added, updated, and organized information
'''William Todd Akin has taken a strong position on ''' (born July 5, 1947) is the role former [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[House of Representatives|Representative]] for [[faithMissouri]] in politics's second congressional district. In late July 2011 2012 he said, "was the Republican nominee for one of the most-watched races for the [[U.S.. at Senate]] in 2012, which he lost against the heart of incumbent [[liberalismDemocratic]] really is a hatred for God and [[senator]] [[Claire McCaskill]] in November 2012 when a belief that government should replace [[Godlibertarian]]candidate siphoned off support." [http://www.theblazeAkin was first elected to Congress in 2000.com/stories/rep-todd-akin-refuses-Prior to-apologize-for-saying-at-that he served 12 years in the-heart-of-liberalism-is-a-hatred-for-god/] [http://blogMissouri General Assembly.seattlepi He was replaced in the second district House seat by fellow Republican Ann L. Wagner, who won her race.com/seattlepolitics/2011/06/28/congressmans-claim-liberals-hate-god/]
Todd Akin repeatedly won upset victories against more [[liberal]] opponents who have spent far more money than he has, and lost only after the [[liberal media]] made it a priority to defeat him and [[pro-aborts]] nationwide poured money into the campaign of his opponent. [[Conservapedia]] was paying attention to Akin's Senate run and conservative status years before the liberal media and [[RINO Backers]] ganged up against him.<ref>http://conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Presidential_Nominations_2012&action=historysubmit&diff=1003072&oldid=1003071#Republican_Contenders_for_the_Nomination</ref> After [[Mitt Romney]] unnecessarily denounced Todd Akin, Romney himself lost credibility and [[pro-life]] support, and was then defeated by [[Barack Obama]] by a larger-than-expected margin in the 2012 U.S. presidential election. ==Early life and career==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/>
==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 has lost one election's Sinking Ship|work=Wall Street Journal|page=A12|date=August 21, 2012}}</ref> Akin was endorsed by fellow Representatives [[Michele Bachmann]] and has repeatedly won upset victories against more [[liberalSteve King]] opponents who have spent far more money than he has,<ref>https://www.stlbeacon.org/#!/content/24282/akin_tea_party_endorsement_041212</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> In an April primary debate, Akin said that federally guaranteed student loans were a "Stage 3 cancer of socialism."<ref name=wp910>{{cite news|title=With Senate at stake, GOP awaits Akin's next move|author=Rosalind S. Helderman and Jason Horowitz|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/with-senate-at-stake-gop-waits-on-akins-next-move-mccaskill-goes-on-offense/2012/09/09/584d77bc-f8ef-11e1-8398-0327ab83ab91_story.html|work=Washington Post|page=A1|date=September 10, 2012}}</ref>
By September 23, as the polls nationwide showed the Senate races tightening and Akin ran against showed no sign of giving up the Democratic incumbent [[Claire McCaskill]] in fight, Newt Gingrich urged the general election. Two weeks after his primary victory, Akin defended his principled [[pro-life]] position by indicating his opposition party to abortion for pregnancy supposedly due let him back into the fold and at least one campaign finance group started to rape. A media firestorm ensued (see below), perhaps initiated by [[RINO]]s, but true [[conservatives]] defended Akin's principled remarks. For example, Connie Mackey of reconsider the [[Family Research Council]] called the discussion wisdom of leaving Akin's remarks "another case of 'gotcha politics' against a to fight alone.<ref>http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/09/24/2703769/conservative leader-fund-considers-backing."html</ref name=wsj/> On August 22Wednesday 26th, Rick Santorum and Jim DeMint publicly endorsed Akin met with leaders of the [[Council for National Policy]] Senate, in Tampa, Florida, who indicated their unwavering support for his campaigna joint statement saying "we cannot afford six more years of Senator McCaskill." <ref>{{cite news|url=httphttps://www.politico.com/newsblogs/storiesburns-haberman/08122012/8002709/santorum-demint-back-akin-136707.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, 2012Friday 28 September, Akin held confirmed that he had been arrested at an anti-abortion protest at 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 clinic some negotiations but they don’t include me25 years ago.”<ref>{{cite news|url=httphttps://www.washingtonpostpolitico.com/blogs/theon-fix/wpcongress/2012/0809/24/todd-akin-wespeaks-areabout-goingold-toarrest-beat-hereabortion-throughclinic-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}}136954.html</ref> At the By then, former Missouri delegation breakfast at the Republican National Convention, many delegates voiced support governor [[Kit Bond]] had endorsed Akin for Senate, and RNC chairman [[Reince Priebus]] had backed off on his earlier vows not to provide a penny to Akin's candidacy.<ref>{{cite news|url=httphttps://www.politicocbsnews.com/news8301-250_162-57522102/stories/0812/80203.html?hp=t3_3|title=Missouri delegates angry kit-bond-to-endorse-akin-priebus-hints-at Mitt Romney over Todd Akin|first=Manu|last=Raju|date=August 27, 2012|accessdate=September 2, 2012|work=Politico}}-rnc-support/</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 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>httphttps://www.wnd.com/2012/08/akin-not-far-off-base-in-rape-comment/</ref>
Published peer-reviewed studies confirm that stress -- which stress—which rape would induce -- interferes induce—interferes with the establishment and maintenance of a pregnancy:<ref>httphttps://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>
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>httphttps://www.politico.com/blogs/on-congress/2012/08/piers-morgan-calls-todd-akin-gutless-little-twerp-132635.html</ref>
=== Apology about the Wording 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." <ref>[http://www.akin.org/]</ref>
In September, Akin's wife, Lulli, brought more media attention to the "rape" comment by using a rape metaphor in an interview with the ''National Journal''. She said, "Party bosses dictating who is allowed to advance through the party and make all of the decisions — it's just like 1776 in that way." She added that colonalists "rose up and said, 'Not in my home, you don't come and rape my daughters and my ... wife.' But that is where we are again."<ref>{{cite news|title=In Mo. race, that word again|page=A4|work=Washington Post|author=Diana Reese|date=September 18, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/09/18/todd-akin-wife-rape-tyranny-missouri-senate/70000588/1#.UFi2hRg5V4s|title=Akin's wife compares GOP moves to 'tyranny'|work=USAToday|author= Catalina Camia|date=September 18, 2012|accessdate=September 18, 2012}}</ref>
== References Political views==A [[veteran]], Congressman Akin has been a leader on military issues in the [[Republican Party]] in [[Congress]]. Akin has taken a strong position on the role of [[faith]] in [[politics]]. In late July 2011 he said, "... at the heart of [[liberalism]] really is a hatred for [[God]] and a belief that [[big government|government]] should replace [[God]]." [https://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/] Akin supported [[Donald Trump]]'s 2016 campaign for president, commenting on him as a "populist Republican" and a "breath of fresh air".<ref>[https://morningconsult.com/2016/08/05/todd-akin-donald-trump/ Todd Akin Calls Trump a ‘Breath of Fresh Air’]</ref> ==Personal life==Akin is a minister who has championed the greater use of [[prayer]] and [[charity]]. His family has [[homeschooled]] their children.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akin, Todd}}
[[categoryCategory:politicsRepublicans]][[Category:Conservatives]][[Category:Pro-Life]][[Category:Missouri]][[Category:Former United States Representatives]]
