Representative Phil Gingrey, (R, Georgia), who doubled as a obstetrician and gynecologist back when he worked or a living, has Todd Akin’s back on “legitimate rape”:

Mr. Akin, he said, “was asked by a local news source about rape and he said, ‘Look, in a legitimate rape situation’ — and what he meant by legitimate rape was just look, someone can say I was raped: a scared-to-death 15-year-old that becomes impregnated by her boyfriend and then has to tell her parents, that’s pretty tough and might on some occasion say, ‘Hey, I was raped.’

“That’s what he meant when he said legitimate rape versus non-legitimate rape. I don’t find anything so horrible about that. But then he went on and said that in a situation of rape, of a legitimate rape, a woman’s body has a way of shutting down so the pregnancy would not occur. He’s partly right on that.”

So, you know, “partial legitimate rape”, or something. But was it a gift from God?

I’m not an OB/Gyn but I can read and MM, your editing leaves something to be desired. The Congressman/doctor goes on to say:

“I’ve delivered lots of babies, and I know about these things,” Mr. Gingrey said, according to the paper. “It is true. We tell infertile couples all the time that are having trouble conceiving because of the woman not ovulating, ‘Just relax. Drink a glass of wine. And don’t be so tense and uptight because all that adrenaline can cause you not to ovulate.’ So he was partially right, wasn’t he?”

He went on: “But the fact that a woman may have already ovulated 12 hours before she is raped, you’re not going to prevent a pregnancy there by a woman’s body shutting anything down because the horse has already left the barn, so to speak. And yet the media took that and tore it apart.”

I think that gives a little clearer picture of what he was really saying.

“But the fact that a woman may have already ovulated 12 hours before she is raped….”

Which is also saying she may not have already ovulated, etc. Forget editing, the full text leaves something to be desired.

MM, while I think you were cherry picking the quotes to fit your theme, I’ll recant the editing comment since you did provide a link to the full story. Mea culpa.

You are correct that he is not making a case for trying to conceive a child. He is making the case that the same difficulties a woman faces in wanting to conceive can be present in a woman being traumatized by assault, but he doesn’t say pregnancy can’t happen.

I think you read to much into the “legitimate rape” comment. There are documented cases of false accusations and being pregnant or not is not proof either way.

I’m not sure at this point which man you’re referring to but I have yet to see whatever it is that gives you insight into his motives.