Todd Akin Jumps the Tracks

Todd Akin has questionable notions about female anatomy.

As evidenced by the entry on his homepage, Todd Akin is an independent spirit and a man of solid principles. In view of his latest interviews, one should add that he’s much, much more: He’s also a believer in bizarre theories that he shamelessly tries to legitimize.

In one interview, the Republican congressman claimed that pregnancy following rape was a rare occurrence. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down,” he explained.

He went on to say, “But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something. You know, I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child.” The man from Missouri didn’t define what he considered a “legitimate rape.” But then, he doesn’t have to. It’s enough just to say it.

Todd Akin wants to be elected to the U.S. Senate this November. It’s a fairly good bet that he won’t get his wish. As a counterpoint to Akin’s misogynistic bullshit, I’ll put it this way: “When it comes to the gentleman from Missouri, human intelligence has possibilities with which his election can be avoided.” And there are certainly a lot of intelligent humans in the state of Missouri.