To paraphrase actor-activist Alec Baldwin, you know your country is in trouble when people ask, 'Did the rape guy win?' and you have to respond, 'Which one?' The candidates' offensive and absurd comments should not be laughed off as an aberration.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and as a pro-choice president, Obama is likely to mark it with a statement reaffirming a woman's constitutional right to abortion. But on this anniversary maybe it is time to ask him for something more.

Roe v. Wade has had a huge impact on the health and safety of women. In 1965, illegal abortions contributed to nearly one-fifth of all pregnancy- and childbirth-related deaths. Today, less than 0.3 percent of women who end a pregnancy sustain a serious complication.