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The Student News Site of Buena Vista University

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The Student News Site of Buena Vista University

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Search The Tack
Stunts first home competition
Stunt's first home competition
March 22, 2024
When I arrived, to my surprise, a Piper Archer II had just landed and way taxiing back to the hangers.
Sunday's pit stop: A gallery by Joshua Tigges
March 2, 2024
A shot at partnership: BVU and Mercy College launch 3 + 1 nursing program
A shot at partnership: BVU and Mercy College launch 3 + 1 nursing program
March 1, 2024
Hot Dish literary magazine submissions open
Hot Dish literary magazine submissions open
February 23, 2024

Politics and word vomit

Shawn Rodine | Contributing Writer

For those of you following politics, you have probably heard something in the past few weeks about Missouri Congressman and Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin. For those of you who have not, let’s recap. On August 19, Todd Akin appeared in an interview with St. Louis television station KTVI-TV. Akin was questioned on whether women who have been raped should be allowed to have an abortion. The most controversial part of his remarks came when Akin said, “First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

Wow. If this weren’t politics, it would be hard to believe that was even said. There have been many political gaffes over the past year or so (I wouldn’t call this a “gaffe” as much as a “belief”), but perhaps none were as shocking as this. Perhaps what’s more shocking is that Todd Akin is on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, yet he evidently couldn’t pass a seventh grade biology exam. Though Akin’s suggestion is entirely scientifically baseless, as was described by Kate Clancy in an extensive Scientific American blog post, his statement tells us a bit more about his true beliefs and those of some in his party than he or his party would like us to believe.

Graphic by Keyla Sosa

Todd Akin maintains what some would call a 100% “pro-life” stance when it comes to abortion. That is, he believes that from the moment of conception onward, a zygote is as much a human being as you and I. The zygote is also entitled to some of the same rights, primarily, the “right to life”. Many with this view also believe that abortion is immoral and should be illegal even in cases of rape or incest. In fact, a full list 22% of those who identify as Republican espouse this view.

Another high-profile politician touting this stance is Republican vice presidential nominee, Paul Ryan. Last year Ryan and Akin co-sponsored H.R. 3, the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” which was aimed to stop federal funds for primarily providers of abortion services such as Planned Parenthood. Arguably, one of the most startling parts of the bill was what some called “an attempt to redefine rape”. The original language of Ryan and Akin’s co-sponsored bill introduced the term “forcible rape”. It was written that abortion would be allowed only in cases of “forcible rape” which to me sounds an awful lot like “legitimate rape”. That’s funny, because I always thought the word “rape” implied that it was “forcible”. Ryan recently wrote off the term “forcible rape” as just “stock language” but didn’t clarify what he actually meant by “stock language”. I’m glad Ryan is comfortable with treating something as serious as rape with “stock language”. Whatever that means.

Iowa Republican Rep., Steve King, who represents Iowa’s 5th district in congress (our own district) and has an office in Storm Lake, also shares this view and supported the bill. King failed to outright denounce Akin’s comments and when asked by Sioux City TV station KMEG whether a 12 year-old who gets pregnant and does not fit the definition of being “forcibly” raped should be able to have a federally-funded abortion, King dodged the question by saying, “Well I just haven’t heard of that being a circumstance that’s been brought to me in any personal way, and I’d be open to discussion about that subject matter”. Apparently suffering from dementia, King recorded a video earlier in August saying that sexual predators impregnating 13 year-old girls “happens in America a lot more times than you or I would like to believe”. I suppose if he doesn’t know a victim, he doesn’t have to answer the question.

Fortunately, the language of the Ryan and Akin bill was dropped, and the bill was killed in the Senate. Nevertheless, the very idea that terms such as “legitimate” or “forcible” rape are brought up in serious, political discussion is insane. The fact that some of our candidates for Vice President (Ryan), Senator (Akin), and Congressman (King) use such language should be, to say the least, disturbing.

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