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.
I think there’s the whole running/extreme exercise thing. And there’s illness.
Stress 'linked to miscarriages'
Stress triples threat of an early miscarriage
Study: Stress hormones suppress fertility
If anything, Akin is guilty of being misinformed on the facts of stress-related miscarriages/lack of fertilization during the commission of a rape, but there's plenty of science to back up the claim that a woman's body can react to the stress of a rape in a way that she cannot control and that would result in no child being conceived.
He’s poison now.
There’s no salvation for this guy.
He’s got to drop out!
He’ll be a distraction until he drops out!!
Hahaha! Thanks! I needed a laugh after the last few days of nonstop irrational Akin-bashing.
I don’t either.
He’s an idiot.
Sp youre saying that that is a brand bew REPUBLICAN talking point ???
Passsed on down from the Romney campaign with its abortion is OK for rape, incest, health of the pregnant female health of the pregnant female health of the pregnant female health of the pregnant female health of the pregnant female
BTTT
“What other kind of rape is there?”
Statutory.
Or, women who appear to be putting out and change their minds mid-stream. Please. That concept is lame.
I consider what he said factually true although bumbled.
I agree that we are seeing a nation put politics ahead of life.
You, DallasSun, have taken alot of lefty positions over the years so I’m not surprised you find him repugnant.
Are you a doctor or medical reseacher? If not what are you basing this on?
What exactly is repugnant about his statement?
Why do women vote for democrats? I can't think of a single legitimate reason to vote for a Democrat, ever.
you have no right to speak as a woman
______________________________________
WOW
Lets toss out the 19th Amendment so that the Constitution no longer hangs by a thread...
Wrong. The "poison" is what conservatives who keep up the Akin-bashing are doing.
Leftists are going to ride the "rape" thing hard, no matter what. (And in doing so they may well overplay their hand.)
It makes ZERO political sense to knock out Akin. Doing that will only ensure a McCaskill victory.
No, what conservatives need to do is fight back. Oh, and fighting the real enemy would help, rather than destroying our own.
I was not talking about abortion. If I was impregnated during a rape, I would not have an abortion. I would have the child and give it up for adoption. The reason? Do you know that the rapist has the rights of any other father? To the point that a court can force you to take the child to prison for visitation rights? And I am not a “broad”...I am someone’s wife, someone’s mother, someone’s grandmother. And I am respected by those who know me. Are you in the habit of calling women “broads”?
thank you for your good post. this sabotage is absolutely due to hypocritical liberals (anything for a child except kill it if the mother is raped) and panicked republican-elites, pandering to liberals while attempting to destroy another conservative over a poorly worded statement of the pro-life position on pregnancy due to rape. the point is that he’s is not for convenience abortion; that he is for the sanctity of life. and he is a man willing to take a stand for life. that’s what i want and i’m going to back this man to the hilt.
and yes, the thrust of his statement, which is documented, is that the woman’s state of mind and her stress can adversely affect pregnancy. a common sense truth. just ask all the couples who got pregnant after they started adoption proceedings. as any adoption agency. it is a fact.
Akin buried himself. Understand THAT, Tennessee Nana!
He’s an idiot, with his primary run largely funded by McCaskill’s PAC!
Indeed. But, he didn’t make the argument that a rape exception would force the government to decide what qualifies for the exception and what doesn’t. That’s an argument worth having — not sure its one we’d win, but its certainly worth debating.
Akin’s statement was not nearly so nuanced.
Instead, he made the dumbassed argument that legitimate rape usually doesn’t result in pregnancy ... thus implicitly questioning the ‘legitimacy’ of any rape that did result in pregnancy. That’s just not a defensible position.
SnakeDoc
You are repeating the talking points of the left. That is not what he meant and I don’t understand why you don’t get that. The law has different terms for different sorts of rape. He said that he should have used the word “forcible” rape as opposed to statutory rape. I don’t see how this would be offensive to anyone, women included. In fact I’m a little offended when someone says something is offensive “to women” as if we are especially sensitive to being offended. Rape is offensive to everyone. Misusing words is not offensive. We all stand a little too eager to be outraged.
Your post just proved my point.
At seven months, or nine months into term, I'd agree with you, because then it IS a child. But right after the rape, and even for several months thereafter, I don't think it has reached child status. Would you deny the morning after pill (RU-486) to someone who was raped? Or would you deny a D&C to someone who became pregnant due to forcible ("legitimate") rape as soon as she realized that she was pregnant... say 4 to 6 weeks after the assault?
Absolutely, Onyx. He is a ticking time bomb. The Republican Party is doing everything it can to get him out of the race. For good reason. Some can ignore this. Most do not.
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