Topic: WorldNetDaily
Joseph Farah mostly defends Todd Akin's remarks on rape and pregnancy in his Aug. 21 column, particularly endorsing Akin's claim that pregnancy from rape is rare:
“From what I understand from doctors, that’s (conception as a result of rape) really rare.” So far, he is absolutely, 100 percent right. It’s exceedingly rare. Some feminist sources claim as many as 5 percent of women raped get pregnant. Though you will find studies placing the percentage at 1 percent to 5 percent, many of them are politically loaded. The fact of the matter is that women can only get pregnant when they are fertile. One-third of women are either too young or too old to get pregnant. A woman is capable of being fertilized only 3 days out of 30 every month. A fourth of all women in the U.S. of childbearing years have been sterilized. Only half of all rapists deposit sperm in the victim’s vagina. Many sexual attackers are impotent or ejaculate prematurely. But, at the end of the day, it’s very rare for a rape victim to become pregnant following one attack.
In fact, medical experts say the rate of pregnancy from rape is no different than that from consensual sex.
Farah does concede that Akin is on "thin ice" for saying, "If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down," but then adds: "He probably meant to say 'forcible rape' instead of 'legitimate rape.'" But, really, claiming Akin meant to refer to "forcible rape" instead of "legitimate rape" is a distinction without a difference; right-wingers (like Paul Ryan) have attempted to insert "forcible rape" language into law, such as when a bill co-sponsored by Akin and Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan attempted to limit taxpayer-funded abortions to instances of "forcible rape." That's a definition that can be read to exclude victims of statutory rape or a drugged woman who was raped.
Farah then quickly moves to declare Akin's comments "unfortunate," adds, "Why should an innocent child, a product of rape, be exterminated because of an act of violence by someone else?" and further rush to his defense:
So Akin made some unfortunate, inaccurate comments. We’ve all done that. Every human being on the plant. Joe Biden does it daily, hourly.
Akin has also apologized profusely for his comments.
I’m not surprised at all that the media and the Democratic Party refuse to let the matter go. What is more disappointing is that the Republican establishment immediately dropped Akin like yesterday’s mashed potatoes – completely writing off his chances and worthiness for victory within hours of the statement.
Who among the Republicans calling on Akin to drop out of the race have never been responsible for a gaffe?
Farah concludes:
Think about it. It’s like a friend of mine said recently. “Which of the following do you find more troubling? 1) Ted Kennedy kills a woman; 2) Barney Frank runs a homosexual prostitution ring out of his apartment; 3) Bill Clinton is credibly accused of raping Juanita Broaddrick; (4) Todd Akin misspeaks.”
Does that help put this in perspective?
The only thing in perspective here is that Farah has told another lie. In fact, the House ethics committee cleared Frank of any involvement in a prostitution ring operated by a Frank associate, and that claims of prostitution activities taking place in Frank's apartment were discredited by witnesses.
But Farah just doesn't care about the truth, so his eager willingness to lie is sadly unsurprising.
