Todd Akin Appeals To Women In New Video

After posting and then removing a web video on Tuesday that featured a woman whose face was obscured, the campaign of embattled Senate candidate Todd Akin (R-Mo.) released a new video on Thursday, as part of its push for female voters.

The video features a series of women speaking about their reasons for supporting Akin, including his economic policies, his opposition to abortion and his relatable personality. But the video veers in an unexpected direction when one woman lists the areas in which she believes women are "under attack."

"There are a lot of women's issues where women are under attack," she says. "One of those areas would be pornography, one would be sex trafficking, depression in women -- a lot of things that take away from a woman's dignity. And Todd understands that."

Akin caused widespread offense, especially among women, when he made the comment that victims of "legitimate rape" rarely get pregnant because "the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." Akin was trying to defend his position that abortion should be banned even in cases where a woman has become pregnant from rape.

A number of prominent Republicans, including presidential candidate Mitt Romney, asked Akin to drop out of his Senate race after his comments, but he remains committed to defeating Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill.

Akin's new campaign video is part of the new "Missouri Women Standing With Todd Akin" coalition, which launched with a rally on Tuesday.