Remove Rep. Todd Akin from the House Science and Technology Committee

[G_j]

Sign your name to call on Speaker John Boehner to remove Rep. Todd Akin from the House Science and Technology Committee.

Republican Congressman Todd Akin told a Missouri news station:

"First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare... If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."

The notion of "legitimate rape" is insulting. But this isn't the first time Akin went down this path. In 2011, Rep. Akin co-sponsored House bill H.R. 3 that proposed redefining rape to only cases of "forcible rape" to deny access to women's health services. Paul Ryan supported it too.

It is outrageous that someone with Rep. Akin's views and appalling ignorance is on a committee devoted to overseeing science policy. This is something that John Boehner can and must change right now.

Tell Speaker Boehner to immediately remove Rep. Akin from the House Science and Technology Committee.

http://www.leftaction.com/action/tell-boehner-remove-akin-science-committee

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/20/us/politics/todd-akin-provokes-ire-with-legitimate-rape-comment.html?_r=1

Senate Candidate Provokes Ire With ‘Legitimate Rape’ Comment
By JOHN ELIGON and MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ
Published: August 19, 2012 582 Comments


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In an effort to explain his stance on abortion, Representative Todd Akin, the Republican Senate nominee from Missouri, provoked ire across the political spectrum on Sunday by saying that in instances of what he called “legitimate rape,” women’s bodies somehow blocked an unwanted pregnancy.

Asked in an interview on a St. Louis television station about his views on abortion, Mr. Akin, a six-term member of Congress who is backed by Tea Party conservatives, made it clear that his opposition to the practice was nearly absolute, even in instances of rape.

“It seems to me, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare,” Mr. Akin said of pregnancies from rape. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something: I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be of the rapist, and not attacking the child.”

The comments, made during an interview with KTVI-TV that was posted on Sunday on the station’s Web site, provoked howls of outrage from Democrats and women’s rights organizations. Senator Claire McCaskill, the Democrat who will face Mr. Akin in the November election, immediately took to Twitter with a blunt response. “As a woman & former prosecutor who handled 100s of rape cases,” she wrote, “I’m stunned by Rep Akin’s comments about victims this AM.”

..more..

[riverwalker]

1. excellent

thank you
make this go viral

[panader0]

2. You mean what he said wasn't scientific?

I believe he'll be out of congress in Nov. But let's get him off the committee in the mean time.

[coalition_unwilling]

3. Deep down, Boner agrees with Akin (that women who are raped

and become pregnant somehow weren't really raped). So I'm not going to waste my time petitioning that loser. At least until he publicly and forcefully repudiates Akin's comments.

[smirkymonkey]

4. Signed and Kicked.

:kick:

[kestrel91316]

5. It's a pretty safe bet that every last repuke on the Science & Technology

Committee is a young earth creationist and dominionist.

This is what we are up against.

[Care Acutely]

6. of course they are

those are the only mouth-breathing fools allowed into that party.

[G_j]

7. like revisiting the dark ages

sorry to say..