As Zerlinda Maxwell, writing at the New York Daily News points out, Mr. Akin and Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan were among the co-sponsors of a bill that initially included language changing the definition of “rape” to “forcible rape.” Linking Ryan to Akin and the idea that there is such a thing as “legitimate rape” based on pseudo-science and folklore is something that needs to be done before the upcoming election. Ryan was against abortion in all cases including rape until Team Romney’s statement earlier today that said, "..."a Romney-Ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape,” adding later, “Congressman's Akin comments on rape are insulting, inexcusable, and, frankly, wrong. Like millions of other Americans, we found them to be offensive.” So at least Akin's deluded comments have forced Romney-Ryan to clarify their previously fuzzy position on the abortion issue.
Salon's Mary Elizabeth Williams' article today defines 'rape' well saying in part, "So in case you’re wondering if 'legitimate, 'forcible' rape is something that straight white men who don’t want ladies to get abortions get to define, the answer is no, they don’t. We actually have a whole justice system that does that. Rape is not just a thug in a dark alleyway violating a virgin. It happens to men and women, young and old, husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends. It happens in prisons and schoolyards and the bedrooms of people who invited the rapist in. It’s an act of domination and violence, a crime that defies tidy, tiny definitions by politicians wholly lacking in empathy or understanding. And there isn’t a goddamn thing that’s legitimate about any of it."
But my question is, do Evangelical Christians [other than Todd Akin] believe there is any kind of 'legimate rape'? Apparently, sadly, frighteningly the answer is yes. Akin is proud of how his religion, and in particular, the Presbyterian Church in America, the deeply conservative Calvinist denomination founded in 1973, influences his political views. Akin has a Masters in Divinity from the denomination’s flagship Covenant Theological Seminary. This is not a situation where Akin sat in the pews of the church of a controversial pastor, or once attended a conference or seminar where controversial views were discussed. His denomination has opposed abortion in all cases, including rape. And Akin, who in a few months could be a United States Senator, wants his religion to dictate American laws.
Yesterday, i thought Akin's comments were pandering to ignorance, today...well today it's gratifying to see the outrage being voiced from everywhere [except the Evangelical Christian leadership and the Sunni Islam Wahhabists who also condone 'legimate rape']. Finally, The Mud Report predicts Akin will be forced, by public outrage and the Republican leadership, to get out of the race by tomorrow or the next day. Even the Republicans must realize that tying their ship's electoral fate to Akin is a titanic mistake.
