Akin Statement on Jaco Report Interview
St. Louis Congressman Todd Akin just released the following statement regarding his interview on the Jaco Report broadcast this morning in St. Louis:
As a member of Congress, I believe that working to protect the most vulnerable in our society is one of my most important responsibilities, and that includes protecting both the unborn and victims of sexual assault. In reviewing my off-the-cuff remarks, its clear that I misspoke in this interview and it does not reflect the deep empathy I hold for the thousands of women who are raped and abused every year. Those who perpetrate these crimes are the lowest of the low in our society and their victims will have no stronger advocate in the Senate to help ensure they have the justice they deserve.
I recognize that abortion, and particularly in the case of rape, is a very emotionally charged issue. But I believe deeply in the protection of all life and I do not believe that harming another innocent victim is the right course of action. I also recognize that there are those who, like my opponent, support abortion and I understand I may not have their support in this election.
But I also believe that this election is about a wide-range of very important issues, starting with the economy and the type of country we will be leaving our children and grandchildren. Weve had 42 straight months of unacceptably high unemployment, trillion dollar deficits, and Democratic leaders in Washington who are focused on growing government, instead of jobs. That is my primary focus in this campaign and while there are those who want to distract from that, knowing they cannot defend the Democrats failed economic record of the last four years, that will continue to be my focus in the months ahead.
Akin takes the morally correct and courageous stance, and now Repubs are running around like scared little bunnies... the so-called “pro-choice” cabal loves to talk about “rape and incest”, and continues to hammer away with this canard... it was time someone pushed back. Maybe Akin’s words were a little clumsy, but the main point is, do we want to protect innocent life or not? Let’s not be sidetracked by the Dem’s overheated reaction. Voters want strong candidates who take a stand...