ST. LOUIS (AP) -
Missouri Congressman Todd Akin was keeping a
low profile Monday, a day after he said women's bodies are able to
prevent pregnancies in "a legitimate rape" situation and that conception
is rare in such cases.
Campaign spokesman Ryan
Hite said the congressman was making no public appearances Monday, and
did not plan any further comments on the issue. He canceled a scheduled
Monday morning interview with talk show host Charlie Brennan on KMOX
Radio.
The six-term congressman is
the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, opposing Democratic incumbent
Claire McCaskill in the November election.
Asked in an interview
Sunday on KTVI-TV if he would support abortions for women who have been
raped, Akin said: "It seems to me 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."
Later Sunday, Akin released
a statement saying that he "misspoke" during the interview, though the
statement did not say specifically which points.
"In reviewing my
off-the-cuff remarks, it's clear that I misspoke in this interview and
it does not reflect the deep empathy I hold for the thousands of women
who are raped and abused every year," Akin's statement said.
Akin also said in the
statement he believes "deeply in the protection of all life and I do not
believe that harming another innocent victim is the right course of
action."
Akin's comments brought a
swift rebuke from the campaign of presumptive GOP presidential candidate
Mitt Romney and his choice for vice president, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of
Wisconsin.
"Gov. Romney and
Congressman Ryan disagree with Mr. Akin's statement, and a Romney-Ryan
administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape," Romney
spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said.
Romney went further in an interview with National Review Online, calling Akin's comment "inexcusable."
"Congressman's Akin
comments on rape are insulting, inexcusable, and, frankly, wrong,"
Romney said. "Like millions of other Americans, we found them to be
offensive."
The Missouri Senate race is
one of the more hotly contested, with control of the Senate up for
grabs. McCaskill, who is seeking a second term, is considered vulnerable
because of her strong ties to President Obama - she was an early
supporter in 2008 - and the fact that Missouri is considered an
increasingly conservative state.
In an emailed statement Sunday, McCaskill called Akin's comments "offensive."
"It is beyond comprehension
that someone can be so ignorant about the emotional and physical trauma
brought on by rape," McCaskill said. "The ideas that Todd Akin has
expressed about the serious crime of rape and the impact on its victims
are offensive."
This month, Akin, 65, won
the state's Republican U.S. Senate primary by a comfortable margin.
During the primary, Akin enhanced his standing with TV ads in which
former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee
praised him as "a courageous conservative" and "a Bible-based Christian"
who "supports traditional marriage" and "defends the unborn."
Akin, a former state
lawmaker who first won election to the U.S. House in 2000, also has a
long-established base among evangelical Christians and was endorsed in
the primary by more than 100 pastors.
Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, on Sunday called Akin's remarks "flat-out astonishing."
"That kind of rhetoric
re-traumatizes sexual assault victims. ... That kind of talk, I believe,
is intended to shame women," she told AP Radio. The left-leaning
organization supports abortion rights and already opposed Akin's
candidacy before his comments Sunday.
Akin was interviewed on
KTVI's "The Jaco Report," and also talked about numerous campaign
issues, such as voter ID laws, the economy and Medicare. KTVI said the
interview was conducted earlier in the week.
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2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
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This May 17, 2011 file photo shows U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., announcing his candidacy for U.S. Senate, in Creve Coeur, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, file)
