Posted on 08/22/2012 3:20:19 PM PDT by shhrubbery!
First, I'm a woman. (Seems to be an important qualification if one is to be allowed to have an opinion on "womens' bodies.")
I'm used to being attacked by the harridans of the Left, who claim that if you're a pro-life, then you're NOT A WOMAN.
But I'm not used to hearing conservatives knee-jerk to the idea that something is "idiotic" just because it's politically incorrect ... according to those same rabid harridans of the Left.
I think, like Akin did, that a woman's endocrine system CAN sometimes "shut down" the process of conception, or implantation, as a result of traumatic stress suffered by the woman.
It so happens there are respected physicians who believe this is possible too: Dr. John C. WIlkie, MD, OB/GYN. And there is some research that tends to back this up (see references at bottom of this page.
We may never have a 100% dispositive study that proves that pregnancy as a result of rape is rare. Real numbers are hard to come by. And sadly, any researcher who attempts an objective study is going to be excoriated like Mark Regnerus (who studied homosexual parenting) or Jay Belsky (who studied the effects of putting children in day care).
But many women know, intuitively, that what Akin said is not "imbecilic." Many women have experience with their endocrine systems going awry, due to stress. I myself have carried four pregnancies to term, but lost one, probably due to stress that caused an endocrine malfunction.
** "Ain't I a woman" is a quote from Sojourner Truth, a strong Christian black woman. She wasn't going to stand for her opinion being shut down because she was (a) a woman and (b) voicing ideas that weren't popular in some circles. And neither am I.
The overreaction to Akin's words is one of the worst I've ever seen. Some conservative women are amongst the worst overreactors. I am especially furious with Michelle Malkin, who has been going on air parroting the "Magic Uterus" meme to ridicule Akin.
STOP IT ALREADY, Michelle. Akin didn't say anything like that, and you are only playing into the hands of the Left by repeating the Alinsky-ite ridicule.
Also disappointing are Ann Coulter and Sarah Palin - both of whom were formerly heroines to me.
Sarah Palin needs to stop advocating for an independent candidacy in MO. Even if that were possible at this point, it would split the vote and hand McCaskill a sure victory.
Ann Coulter today advocated a "write in campaign." Forget about it. I am an elected official myself, and know this is extremely difficult, the exception in AK notwithstanding.
Then there was Dana Perrino's irresponsible suggestion that Republican voters in MO might justifiably "stay home" and not vote. WHAT???
Does anyone really believe that continuing to attack Akin is going to somehow help the top of the ticket? Unless conservatives are willing to cut off their noses to spite their faces, and actually facilitate an Akin defeat-- the only politically realistic things we can do now are to:
STOP the circular firing squad against Akin.
Stop assuming Akin can't win.
Let the voters of Missouri decide. Don't assume they're stupid enough to fall for the lies and tactics of the Left.
I am from Missouri and I live in the same neighborhood (Town & Country) as Akin. The guy is a political hack!
BTTT from another woman...
It was wrong. It was scientifically incorrect. And..above all...it was repugnant. And I too am a woman. One does not have to look far to see why the democrats get the women’s vote. I would not vote for Akin in a million years. He is amazingly ignorant.
FGS, he was promoted by the Left. McCaskill’s PAC helped fund his primary campaign.
He’s an idiot.
Also, I do not know one republican woman who does not agree that Akin is ignorant and stupid. He knows nothing about the biology of a woman’s body. He is callous and ignorant about rape. And none of them would vote for him.
As always, onyx, you are too kind. There is a good reason why McCaskill wants him to continue in the race. In the meantime, we are losing time for a conservative to get in to the race and campaign for this Senate seat. Akin is not thinking of the good of the party. He is thinking of his ego, period.
So is what the women who defended Akin in this thread said wrong?
Thanks for introducing facts to the discussion.
Hopefully, those Abortion Mill Apologist Yellow Bellied RINO’s will take note and apologize to Todd Akin for the savagery they have bestowed upon him over the last few days.
Congressman Akin and the true Conservatives in the should present these facts to the American people next week at the Convention.
I have a question...why, besides pregnancy, does a woman miss her period?
I'm sorry. I find it repugnant, because the implication is that, because actual rape pregnancies are rare, we should write off the women impregnated by rape because of the sanctity of life.
I know my opinion will be unpopular with many on this site, but in my opinion, no woman should be forced to bear a child that is the product of a rape. For the record, I think mid to late term abortion is wrong. But, that's not the issue here--a woman who has been forcibly raped, which makes it "legitimate rape" as opposed to statutory rape, or claimed after the fact rape, will almost certainly be keeping an eye on her reproductive status, and will have the opportunity of very early termination. Therefore, my abortion objections are not violated.
Sorry guys, flame away, but that's the way I see it. By the way, I also think that an uncompromising position here against any pregnancy termination from the very moment of conception (rather than drawing the line later) is very likely to repel voters who are looking for an alternative to Obama's Marxism, and even those who are repelled by his over the top love of abortion.
Your reply reminds me of Pauline Kael's famous quote. This was almost a quarter century ago. Kael could not understand how Nixon won. Why, nobody she knew voted for him!
He knows nothing about the biology of a woman’s body.
I do, and I think he was right.
He is callous and ignorant about rape."
"Callous"? That's a new bit of invective. What's your evidence for that?
I don’t understand why Akin said what he did, but it was unacceptable.
Also, I do not know one republican woman who does not agree that Akin is ignorant and stupid.”
If the herd is offended, can we really be sure it deserves to be?
And you wonder why we do not get the woman’s vote.
I don’t argue that he’s wrong. But I don’t understand what is repugnant about it. He likely believes it and I’m sure he heard it from someone he trusts (a doctor perhaps —they aren’t all always right I have learned thru the years, I present you with breastfeeding advice as evidence). So, given his view that abortion is the killing of a human, and if his expertise is not biology/science/medicine, why is what he said “repugnant”? Why is it simply not wrong?
Nothing wrong about opinions. The majority opinion is that akin is an insensitive moron and is only thinking of himself.
He messed up bigtime and needs to go away.
Happens often in extremely lean female athletes.
For the life of me, I don’t understand why he said what he did.
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