House Republican and OBGYN Says Akin Was Partly Right About Legitimate Rape

A pro-fetus House Republican from Georgia defended legitimate rape Todd Akin of Missouri and the gift of rape Richard Mourdock of Indiana.

U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta) said, “(I)n a situation of rape, of a legitimate rape, a woman’s body has a way of shutting down so the pregnancy would not occur. He’s partly right on that.” He further explained, “I don’t find anything so horrible about that” when explaining Akin’s comments about legitimate rape.

Gingrey, an OB/GYN (yes, really), prefaced his explanation of Akin and Mourdoch’s comments by saying that he has “very strong feelings” on this topic (as if women don’t) because he is Catholic and believes life starts at conception. (I can trump that, sir — since women are the only people who can get pregnant from being raped, we tend to have stronger feelings on the matter than you do. Trust me.)

The MDJonline reported on Gingrey’s comments yesterday to members of the Smyrna Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce:

“Part of the reason the Dems still control the Senate is because of comments made in Missouri by Todd Akin and Indiana by Mourdock were considered a little bit over the top. Mourdock basically said ‘Look, if there is conception in the aftermath of a rape, that’s still a child, and it’s a child of God, essentially.’ Now, in Indiana, that cost him the election.

And in Missouri, Todd Akin … was asked by a local news source about rape and he said, ‘Look, in a legitimate rape situation’ — and what he meant by legitimate rape was just look, someone can say I was raped: a scared-to-death 15-year-old that becomes impregnated by her boyfriend and then has to tell her parents, that’s pretty tough and might on some occasion say, ‘Hey, I was raped.’ That’s what he meant when he said legitimate rape versus non-legitimate rape. I don’t find anything so horrible about that. But then he went on and said that in a situation of rape, of a legitimate rape, a woman’s body has a way of shutting down so the pregnancy would not occur. He’s partly right on that.

I’m an OB/GYN doctor. I’ve been an OB/GYN doctor for a long time, since 1975. And I’ve delivered lots of babies, and I know about these things. It is true. We tell infertile couples all the time that are having trouble conceiving because of the woman not ovulating, ‘Just relax. Drink a glass of wine. And don’t be so tense and uptight because all that adrenaline can cause you not to ovulate.’ So he was partially right wasn’t he? But the fact that a woman may have already ovulated 12 hours before she is raped, you’re not going to prevent a pregnancy there by a woman’s body shutting anything down because the horse has already left the barn, so to speak. And yet the media took that and tore it apart.”

Listen here.

So, yes ladies, according to yet another Republican, many of you lie about rape so Todd Akin was right about “legitimate rape” existing (statistically, most rapes go unreported, so this meme is what we refer to as rape enabling).

More of OB/GYN Gingrey’s Akin/Mourdock beliefs which he covered in “pro-life” (pro-fetus, anti-woman and anti-born child) stardust and blamed the media for tearing apart:

Fifteen year old girls lie about being raped in order to avoid their parents’ anger after they get pregnant, thus Akin was right. Check.

Conception from rape is still a gift from God – how do you know? Because a male Republican told you so. Check.

Relaxed women get pregnant easier according to this “expert”. Gingrey bases this on his condescending suggestion that women should “just relax” and drink some wine if they want to conceive (it’s like science doesn’t exist for these guys). So yes, you can shut that rape down — unless you have already ovulated and the “horse has left the barn” (points for additional Republican references to barn yard animals when discussing female biology). To those women who got pregnant from rape and had not ovulated 12 hours in advance, you had a choice and you chose to get pregnant from that rapist. Shut it down, girls! Check.

Republicans are still crazy, and this OB/GYN “expert” is in the House voting on laws that impact girls and women in this country. “Dr.” Gingrey is a member of the Tea Party caucus where Todd Akin used to reside. Still wondering why this House hasn’t reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act?

Sarah Jones

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