Uproar as candidate claims 'legitimate rape' rarely leads to pregnancy
John Eligon, Michael Schwirtz
KANSAS CITY, Missouri: In an effort to explain his stance on abortion, Todd Akin, the Republican Senate nominee from Missouri, provoked ire across the political spectrum by saying in instances of ''legitimate rape'', women's bodies somehow blocked an unwanted pregnancy.Asked in an interview on a St Louis television station about his views on abortion, Mr Akin, a six-term member of Congress and a favourite of Tea Party conservatives, made it clear his opposition to the practice was nearly absolute, even in instances of rape.
''It seems to me, from what I understand from doctors, that's really rare,'' Mr Akin said of pregnancies from rape. ''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.''
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