abortion

Interesting piece by Sady Doyle at In These Times: Enough With the Rape Gaffes

What Republicans are pushing for is not acceptance of rape. They're pushing for the idea that abortion is also a violent crime, a worse crime than rape, and that it too should be illegal. Which simply isn't true: Abortion is a reliable, safe medical procedure, usually done when the fetus is nowhere near viability. Like contraception, abortion frees people with uteruses to live full lives, including full sexual lives, without having to worry that any sexual problem (from a broken condom to a sexual assault) might necessarily result in their bearing children that they can't afford or don't want. Abortion is autonomy. Autonomy is essential. Therefore, abortion is good.

Following up on the Todd Akin saga, a Missouri Republican Committeewoman has managed to say something even stupider. From The Raw Story: Missouri Republican official: ‘God chose to bless’ women with pregnancies from rape

GOP 4th Senate District Committeewoman Sharon Barnes told The New York Times “that abortion is never an option.”

...

Barnes “echoed Mr. Akin’s statement that very few rapes resulted in pregnancy,” according to the Times, and she added that “at that point, if God has chosen to bless this person with a life, you don’t kill it.”

The fallout continues from GOP Senate candidate and current Representative Todd Akin's incredibly stupid comments on rape and pregnancy. Akin canceled an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan; Morgan actually called Akin "gutless little twerp" and opened his show with a shot of the empty chair.

Even Romney and Ryan have rebuked Akin for the comment -- according to spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg, "Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan disagree with Mr. Akin's statement, and a Romney-Ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape."

And yet, a poll by Public Policy Polling shows that while 75 percent of Missouri voters say Akin's comments were inappropriate, he's still up 44 to 43 percent over Claire McCaskill.