Results tagged “Todd Akin” from Blog for Choice
It's that time of year again, and we're here to announce the winners of our annual Hall of Fame and Shame contest!
We tallied your votes, and this year's winner of NARAL Pro-Choice America's Hall of Fame is: President Barack Obama!
From securing no-cost birth-control coverage, to battling out anti-choice presidential candidate Mitt Romney for re-election, to standing with survivors of rape in the military, it's been a big year for our pro-choice president.
We thank President Obama for his hard work protecting women's access to abortion and birth control.
We know that for every pro-choice superstar, there's an anti-choice extremist trying to take away women's reproductive-health care. And that person is the newest member of our anti-choice annual Hall of Shame: Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO).
You may remember Akin's famous gaffe about "legitimate rape," which set off a chain reaction of outrageous comments from other extreme anti-choice candidates.
The backlash from Rep. Akin's comment just goes to show that when politicians try to get between a woman and her doctor, pro-choice voters will find a way to legitimately shut that whole thing down.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's Hall of Fame and Shame contest!
TagsWe couldn't have asked for a more amazing election night!
President Obama will spend four more years in the White House defending women's freedom and privacy, and many NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC-endorsed candidates emerged victorious!
But, remember all those guys who recently said some horrible things about whether rape survivors should have access to abortion care? Well, pro-choice voters spoke out yesterday and sent them all packing.
When it came to anti-choice Rep. Todd Akin's campaign against pro-choice incumbent Claire McCaskill for the Senate seat, voters in Missouri legitimately shut that whole thing down.
Anti-choice Richard Mourdock lost his bid to represent Indiana in the U.S. Senate. Clearly, his defeat was something voters "intended to happen."
Rep. Joe Walsh lost a tight race against pro-choice Tammy Duckworth in Illinois. Rep. Walsh doesn't believe in life-saving abortion care. That's why, Mr. Walsh, pro-choice voters were hard-pressed to "find one instance" where voting you back into office seemed like a good idea.
John Koster lost his congressional campaign in Washington state. Instead, voters stood with pro-choice advocate Suzan DelBene, and sent a clear message: Hey, Koster, pro-choice Americans vote their values, it's "an election thing!"
Last night's elections clearly show that pro-choice voters will not allow out-of-touch, anti-choice politicians to represent them in office. We know, however, that these politicians aren't going to give up and we can expect attempts to dismantle our reproductive rights in Congress, the states, and the courts. But we will meet these challenges - and fight them - every step of the way.
Thank you for voting your pro-choice values, electing pro-choice candidates to office, and making sure President Barack Obama has four more years in the White House!
Our own Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, stopped by The Rachel Maddow Show last night to talk about the recent slew of outrageous anti-choice comments from the campaign trail.
Most recently, we heard Richard Mourdock, who is running for Senate in Indiana, say that pregnancy resulting from rape is "something that God intended to happen."
But that's not all. Rep. Paul Ryan has called rape just another "method of conception." And Rep. Todd Akin drew national attention by claiming that pregnancy rarely occurs from a "legitimate rape" because "the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."
Romney has not withdrawn his endorsement of Richard Mourdock. In fact, the only candidate that Mitt Romney has supported in a campaign ad is Mourdock. Has Romney told Mourdock to take down the ads? No.
President Obama spoke out against Mourdock's comments on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in front of millions of viewers: "This is exactly why you don't want politicians - mostly male - making decisions about women's health care decisions." His campaign released its own ad so that voters know where the Romney-Ryan ticket stands.
This is certainly not the first time Romney has failed to stand with women. When Rush Limbaugh called Sandra Fluke "a slut," Romney simply said: "It's not the language I would have used."
Romney's refusal to withdraw his endorsement shows voters that he is anything but moderate on choice.
As Nancy Keenan stated, "The American public is not stupid. And I think they're going to see through [the Romney-Ryan ticket] and understand that there's only one person who supports a woman's right to choose, and that's President Barack Obama."
We are horrified by these anti-choice comments and appalled that Romney refuses to withdraw his endorsement for Mourdock.
On November 6, make sure you support the candidate who trusts women to make their own personal decisions: pro-choice President Barack Obama.
Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Yesterday was a big day for anti-choice extremist Rep. Todd Akin, the candidate for U.S. Senate who said that pregnancies from "legitimate rape" rarely happen.
September 25 was the official deadline for Akin to drop out of the race for U.S. Senate. Many Republican leaders, including Mitt Romney, publicly called on Akin to step aside.
However, the deadline has come and gone. And Akin is still in the race!
Now it's up to us to get the word out to Missouri voters about Akin's extreme beliefs.
If his comments about "legitimate rape" weren't offensive enough, he also said that he believes that emergency contraception should be banned.
If you have friends who vote in Missouri, get the word out. Tell them to cast their vote to re-elect Sen. Claire McCaskill. Akin cannot be trusted to protect our rights - let alone understand basic biology.
Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Mitt Romney wants you forget all that stuff he said he'd do to advance his anti-choice agenda.
On Monday, he said:
"Recognize this is the decision that will be made by the Supreme Court. The Democrats try and make this a political issue every four years, but this is a matter in the courts. It's been settled for some time in the courts."
Wait. Isn't this the guy who supports a "personhood" initiative that would ban abortion in almost all circumstances with no exception for rape or incest?
Romney must still be nervous about Rep. Todd Akin's explosive comments about "legitimate rape." Or maybe he saw the polling that showed voters' strong disapproval of the Republican National Party's extreme anti-choice platform. He should be nervous that 75 percent of respondents oppose banning abortion in cases of rape or incest - which is what the Republican Party platform supports.
Clearly, Romney wants to hide that the president of our country has a huge impact on reproductive rights.
We're not going to let him get away with it. Beth Shipp, NARAL Pro-Choice America's political director, aptly stated:
"For Mitt Romney not to know [the power the president has over abortion rights] is either disingenuous or flat-out stupid. I can't decide which one he's trying to be at this point because lord knows he's been all over the map on our issue, and every other issue."
If he's elected, Romney could take all of these actions to curtail women's reproductive freedom and choice:
- Nominate enough Supreme Court justices to determine the future of Roe v. Wade and women's constitutional right to choose.
- Appoint people to his administration who could directly restrict women's reproductive freedom and health.
- Impose federal choice-related policies through executive actions, such as re-instating the global gag rule. Deny funding to family-planning services and teen pregnancy-prevention programs through his budget.
We've put together this infographic so that voters don't forget the threat a Romney administration poses to a woman's right to choose.
On November 6, we'll show Romney that we have not forgotten what kind of president he's threatened to be.
Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Mitt Romney is only a few days away from accepting the Republican nomination for president.
Starting today, voters will hear from speakers who were selected to send a message about the kind of president Romney would be - and about the vision the Republican Party has for America.
The Republican Party had a chance to distance itself from Rep. Todd Akin's recent outrageous and offensive comment that survivors of "legitimate" rape rarely become pregnant.
Instead, the party put forward an extreme anti-choice platform that would support denying women access to abortion even in cases of rape or incest.
It should come as no surprise, then, that a slate of extreme anti-choice politicians will join Mitt Romney to represent what kind of president he'll be.
Tonight, you can catch "Transvaginal" Governor Bob McDonnell (R-Va.), chairman of the party's platform committee. Gov. McDonnell signed a forced-ultrasound measure into law earlier this year. That means that women in Virginia will be forced to get an ultrasound before they can access abortion care, even if it's medically unnecessary and even if it's against the woman's will.
Tomorrow, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) will speak. In June, Sen. Paul tried to sneak a "personhood" amendment into a flood-insurance bill.
That's right - flood insurance.
Don't forget that "personhood" measures would outlaw abortion in almost all circumstances. They could ban several of the most common forms of birth control, restrict fertility treatments, and put an end to stem-cell research.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) will introduce Mitt Romney on Thursday night.
Sen. Rubio recently stated that banning abortion "is not an issue about denying anyone rights. This is an issue about protecting the rights of a human being to live - irrespective of what stage in development they may be."
Oh, the hypocrisy. Sen. Rubio was a driving force behind anti-choice senators' attempt to allow bosses to deny employees from receiving birth-control coverage - you know, so they can prevent unintended pregnancy in the first place.
These are just a handful of the politicians who will sing Romney's praises and send a message to American voters. Why don't you send a message back? Tell Gov. Romney and Rep. Ryan that you don't agree with their extreme anti-choice agenda.
They'll see just how out of touch they are with American women and their families on November 6.
Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Last week, voters found out just how extreme anti-choice politicians really are.
Rep. Todd Akin justified banning abortion even for rape survivors because of his personal theory that not all rape is "legitimate." And then, the Republican Party released its platform calling for abortion to be banned even in cases of rape or incest.
When Rep. Ryan got the chance to comment, he exposed his blatant lack of compassion for rape survivors when he stated:
"I'm very proud of my pro-life record, and I've always adopted the idea that, the position that the method of conception doesn't change the definition of life."
To Rep. Paul Ryan, rape is just another "method of conception."
Are you kidding me?
This isn't the first time the Romney-Ryan ticket has taken a hard line on exceptions to abortion bans.
When asked "Would you have supported a constitutional amendment that would have established the definition of life at conception?" Mitt Romney answered, "Absolutely."
And just last year, Rep. Paul Ryan teamed with Rep. Todd Akin to cosponsor a "personhood" measure which, if passed and enacted into law, could outlaw abortion in almost all cases with no exceptions for rape or incest survivors.
What's more, Rep. Paul Ryan again joined Rep. Todd Akin to cosponsor a bill that would have redefined rape, allowing only survivors of "forcible" rape to access abortion services.
Tell the Romney-Ryan ticket that you do not stand for these extreme-anti-choice measures.
We will continue to spread the word about these anti-choice politicians, and hold them accountable for their voting history. On November 6, they'll answer for their actions.
Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Everyone is talking about Rep. Todd Akin's (R-Mo.) outrageous statement that abortion isn't necessary for survivors of "legitimate" rape. He said they rarely get pregnant because the "female body has ways of shutting that whole thing down."
The Romney-Ryan campaign tried to distance itself from the statement, but Rep. Ryan's (R-Wis.) record tells a very different story.
Rep. Paul Ryan cosponsored extreme "personhood" legislation that, if passed and enacted, would ban abortion in almost all cases, including rape or incest. And Mitt Romney supported the Mississippi "personhood" initiative that, if passed, would have done the same thing.
Last year, Rep. Ryan joined with Rep. Akin to cosponsor H.R. 3, a bill that could have effectively redefined "rape."
The original version of H.R. 3 would have blocked a woman's access to abortion coverage unless she was a survivor of "forcible rape." Really?! What's more, when given the chance to apologize for his offensive comment, Rep. Akin explained that when he said "legitimate" rape, he meant to say "forcible" rape.
Don't be fooled. Whatever Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) may have said about Rep. Akin's comments, those views mirror the values and agenda of the Romney-Ryan ticket.
In November, pro-choice voters will show Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan exactly how out of touch they are with America's priorities and values.
Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Remember Rep. Todd Akin? He's the guy who wants to ban emergency contraception, totally, for everyone.
This weekend, an interviewer asked Rep. Akin why he would not support a woman's right to choose abortion in cases of rape. Akin's shocking response?
"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. 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."
You've got to see it for yourself.
Rep. Akin's pro-choice opponent, incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill, responded:
"As a woman and former prosecutor who handled hundreds of rape cases, I'm stunned by Rep Akin's comments about victims this morning. It is beyond comprehension that someone can be so ignorant about the emotional and physical trauma brought on by rape. The ideas that Todd Akin has expressed about the serious crime of rape and the impact on its victims are offensive."
Rep. Akin's comments went viral.
After the tremendous backlash, Akin's campaign tried to backtrack on his outrageous comments.
But we're not buying it.
Rep. Akin showed his true colors with his comment, and we will continue to remind Missouri voters about the stark choice they have to make on November 6.
Sen. Claire McCaskill or Rep. Todd Akin?
For women, and the men who care about them, the choice is crystal clear.
Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
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