Monday Rant: Was Akin's Comment 'Legit' Or Just Wrong?

Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) confessed he contracted a severe case of foot-in-mouth, but hopes it won't be fatal to his political career.

"From what I understand from doctors, that's really rare," Akin said of pregnancy caused by rape during a televised interview. "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let's assume maybe that didn't work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist."

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wants to punish Akin by forcing him to resign from the House Science and Technology Committee, according to Huffington Post. The Republicans are trying to contain the firestorm by quieting Akin.

Akin says he has no plans to withdraw from the November election, however.

The reaction on the Internet has been harsh:

"Tomorrow, Todd Akin explains that legitimate murders don’t cause death," posted Jamelle Bouie on Twitter.
"The scary thing is that Todd Akin actually serves on the House "Science and Technology" Committee," wrote Jonathan Kay on Twitter.

Weigh in here or on Facebook or Twitter with your reaction to Akin's statements.

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