Where Akin screwed up

[SickOfTheOnePct]

What Todd Akin said was not only ignorant beyond belief, it was a grave insult to every rape victim, past, present and future. He could have maintained his right wing bona fides by just saying "I'm pro-life in all cases, even rape and incest, because the fetus is a life, regardless of the circumstances of conception". Yes, it would have been insensitive, but would it have been any worse for him than what he did say?

I come to this conclusion because I've always questioned how, if someone is truly pro-life, they are OK with abortion in the case of rape or incest. It would seem to me that claiming pro-life status while being OK with abortion in the case of rape or incest simply betrays their true agenda, which is slut-shaming (in their eyes, not mine). After all, life is life right? Regardless of the circumstances of conception?

[Xipe Totec]

1. The mother was conceived too, and she has a right to life as well. nt

[SickOfTheOnePct]

4. I agree 100%

My point is that he could have made his "I'm 100% pro-life" claim without nearly the political damage if he had just thought about it instead of trying to come up with some weasley talk-around for why he opposes abortion in cases of rape.

[Lucy Goosey]

2. Yes! I've always thought this myself.

I have more respect for a someone who is against abortion in all cases than someone who is in favor or a rape or incest exception, for exactly the reason you say - that if someone believes there should be an exception for women who didn't consent to sex, that person's view is not based on the sanctity of life, it's based on punishing women who consent to sex. Slut-shaming, indeed.

[Downwinder]

3. As long as you are questioning:

How can they be for the death penalty?

How can they deny medical treatment?

[Hydra]

5. Akin screwed up most, IMO, in revealing

That the GOP's Pro-Life stance is all about control, and that they didn't care about the mother or the baby or babies.

That doesn't go over well in a nation where people think they are(or should be) allowed to make their own decisions about their lives and health.

The slut-shaming thing is big too. "You put out? You deal with the consequences..." Of course, we know if it were possible for them to get pregnant too, they'd have shut up about this centuries ago.