Over the weekend, U.S. Senate candidate, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), shared his belief that women rarely get pregnant from "legitimate" rape.
His outrageous comments went viral immediately. Although the Republican Party scrambled to distance themselves from his position, these offensive statements reflect an anti-choice agenda that has, and will continue to rob women of their reproductive rights if we do not pay close attention today and on November 6.
Tonight, the Republican Platform Committee is meeting to vote on their objectives for the next four years, including their position on abortion.
The Republican Party Platform is expected to include its usual support for a Human Life Amendment that would effectively ban abortion nationwide, in almost all circumstances, without exception for rape and incest. What every American needs to know right now is that this dangerous platform has been repeatedly endorsed by Mitt Romney (R- Mass.), and reflects the position of his running mate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).
Just last year, Rep. Ryan teamed up with Rep. Akin to co-sponsor an extreme anti-choice bill, H.R. 3, which would essentially redefine "rape" and prevent certain survivors of rape from accessing abortion services.
In fact, when given the chance to apologize for his outrageous comment, Rep. Akin explained that when he said "legitimate" rape, he really meant "forcible" rape -- the new definition put forward in the bill he cosponsored with Rep. Ryan.
And what's worse, Ryan has cast 59 votes on reproductive rights legislation, all of them anti-choice. Rep. Ryan also co-sponsored a couple of "personhood" bills, such as the "Sanctity of Human Life Act" that, if passed and enacted into law, would end legal abortion in almost all circumstances with no exception for rape or incest.
Make no mistake, the reprehensible views voiced by Rep. Todd Akin echo the true positions of the Romney-Ryan ticket.
These men and the Republican Platform Committee have pandered to the extreme positions of a small percentage of American voters, and tonight, they will do it again.
American women and their families must be aware that if Romney and Ryan are campaigning toward November 6 on this platform, they have every intention of a continued War on Women.