U.S. Representative Todd Akin teaches us some science about the female body
from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.
- Todd Akin
This man is stupid. Donate to Planned Parenthood today!
However I take issue with how much reporters love to take out the cases-of-rape thing. It makes for great television because:
- You get to talk about two adult, taboo topics at the same time: abortion and rape.
- It has the appearance of an interesting edge case in an ethical conundrum. It’s a cheap way to add another dimension to an already contentious issue, so it forces very opinionated people to have and defend even more opinions.
Are there any actual arguments for abortion being more ethical in cases of rape? I have never heard one. The idea that abortion is more ethical in cases of rape implies and requires that it is less ethical in other cases. As such, it is an enormously anti-abortion idea. All reporters who entertain the question are supporting an anti-abortion agenda, because abortion makes for such great television and they don’t want the issue to go away. Furthermore, even pro-choice advocates who answer the question directly instead of challenging its premises are unintentionally reinforcing the idea.
(Donate to Planned Parenthood today!)
update:
Also, from an American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology study in 1996:
One of the worst things about this is learning that there are 32,000 rape pregnancies a year in the US.
— John Perry Barlow (@JPBarlow) August 20, 2012
update 2:
Akin is on the House Science Committee :-(
update 3:
Why am I not shocked that @toddakin invoked 9/11 in defending himself. No, seriously: wonkette.com/481563/todd-ak…
— Cristóbal Palmer (@coxn) August 20, 2012
No Comments Yet