PoliticsPoliticsElections 2012Video

Todd Akin Campaign Says He Still Believes Doctors Give Abortions To Non-Pregnant Women

Akin Campaign Says He Still Believes Doctors Give Abortions To Non-Pregnant Women
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Senior Politics Reporter, HuffPost

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FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2012 file photo, Missouri Republican Senate cadidate, Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., talks with reporters in Sedalia, Mo. This is the convention prelude of the Republicans' dreams _ their nightmares, that is. Mitt Romney wanted to preside over a made-for TV gathering showcasing his economic credentials and GOP unity. Instead, he's heading to Tampa with the national debate focused on rape and abortion and with the divisions within his party on full display. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner, File)

Rep. Todd Akin's (R-Mo.) Senate campaign confirmed on Wednesday that the candidate stands by a comment he made in 2008 that doctors regularly perform abortions on women "who aren't actually pregnant."

In a statement to BuzzFeed, Akin spokesman Rick Tyler called the congressman's comments "factual" and cited an investigative news article from 1978 as evidence that doctors trick women into thinking they're pregnant in order to collect fees for an abortion.

"There's ample evidence that abortion doctors on any number of occasions have deceived women into thinking that they're pregnant, and then collect money for a procedure that they don't perform," he said. "And I say they don't perform it because obviously the women weren't pregnant."

Tyler said nobody hears about this happening anymore because the problem is no longer talked about. "That's a war on women that never gets reported," he said, adding, "I don't want Todd to be held to some standard because there's no accurate reporting on abortion, because there isn't."

Abby Johnson, a staunch anti-abortion advocate who previously ran a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas, backed up Tyler's claim in statement provided to BuzzFeed by Akin's campaign. "In support of Congressman Todd Akin, I can attest that when I served as director of Planned Parenthood in Bryan, Texas, we often scared women into getting services they did not need - including abortion - so we could collect the fees," Johnson said. "This included women who were not pregnant and women who were in the process of miscarrying."

Dr. Nancy Stanwood, an obstetrician and board member of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, said Akin's claims are baseless and offensive to doctors.

"I think this reflects the fact that [Akin] is not an authority on women's reproductive health in the modern era," she told The Huffington Post. "What he's saying is baseless and medically ridiculous."

She added, "This is an old narrative, that physicians who provide abortions are greedy. It doesn't reflect the reality of what I see in my practice. We're thoughtful and passionate, and we've worked really hard to get the medical training we need to take care of patients. That's our motivation, and that's the 21st century narrative that we want people to pay attention to."

"That's just an absolutely ridiculous claim," Michelle Trupiano, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood's Missouri branch, told the Associated Press. It "just goes to show how extreme Todd Akin is, and he's not in touch with what happens in women's lives."

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Before You Go

Political Reaction To Akin 'Rape' Comments
Gov. Jan Brewer (R-Ariz.)(01 of19)
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"Well, I thought his comments were a little bit outrageous," she told KJZZ's Mark Brodie. "I'm not in a position to [decide] whether it's right for the party to pull funding, I mean, those people there raise the money, they get to spend it however they wish." (credit:AP)
Mitt Romney(02 of19)
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"As I said yesterday, Todd Akin's comments were offensive and wrong and he should very seriously consider what course would be in the best interest of our country," said Romney in a statement. "Today, his fellow Missourians urged him to step aside, and I think he should accept their counsel and exit the Senate race."Earlier, from an interview with the National Review:
"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."
 (credit:AP)
Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.)(03 of19)
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"He should be ashamed of himself to be talking about it in that way," Christie said. "It's stunning to me that somebody who's offering themselves for high office like that would have those kind of thoughts and use that kind of language." (credit:AP)
Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.)(04 of19)
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From Patch:
Gov. Scott Walker said Tuesday that Republican Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin should drop out of the race after Akin made controversial comments about rape and pregnancy."Yes, he should step down. Those comments were ignorant at best and outrageous," Walker said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Sturtevant.
 (credit:AP)
Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-Va.)(05 of19)
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"He's got to seriously decide what's in the best interest of the party, what's in the best interest of the state of Missouri, and frankly, at this point, given that flat wrong statement, whether he can win," McDonnell told The Huffington Post."I think there was a belief a month ago, when it was just he and [incumbent Sen. Claire] McCaskill head to head after he got the nomination, that it would be a hard-fought competitive race, with Romney at the top of the ticket and up double digits, that this would be a race that would be winnable for the Republicans," McDonnell said. "To say things that seemed to be so flat wrong and out of touch with both science and the people, I think it makes it very difficult at this point for him to win." (credit:AP)
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.)(06 of19)
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"It is beyond comprehension that someone can be so ignorant about the emotional and physical trauma brought on by rape ... The ideas that Todd Akin has expressed about the serious crime of rape and the impact on its victims are offensive." (credit:AP)
Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan Campaign(07 of19)
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"Gov. Romney and Congressman (Paul) 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."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." (credit:AP)
Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)(08 of19)
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"What he said is just flat wrong in addition to being wildly offensive to any victim of sexual abuse. Although Representative Akin has apologized, I believe he should take time with his family to consider whether this statement will prevent him from effectively representing our party in this critical election," said McConnell, according to the Los Angeles Times. (credit:AP)
Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.)(09 of19)
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"As a husband and father of two young women, I found Todd Akin's comments about women and rape outrageous, inappropriate and wrong. There is no place in our public discourse for this type of offensive thinking. Not only should he apologize, but I believe Rep. Akin's statement was so far out of bounds that he should resign the nomination for US Senate in Missouri." (credit:AP)
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa)(10 of19)
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"Whether he has mispoken or whether he has a position that we would have trouble agreeing on, I don't know that. I do know him and I do know his family, and I'm impressed with what they've accomplished. So that's the best I can do with what little bit I know," said King.And later:"I just haven't heard of that being a circumstance that's been brought to me in any personal way," he told KMEG. "I'd be open to hearing discussion about that subject matter." (credit:AP)
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)(11 of19)
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"I have to agree with those, including Republicans, who have said he should give up his race for Senate," said Van Hollen on NewsNation with Tamron Hall. (credit:AP)
Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.)(12 of19)
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"Like Joe Biden's comments last week, I find Todd Akin's comments made Sunday to be just as outrageous and offensive. Such insulting and offensive remarks from Joe Biden and Todd Akin have no place in our political discourse," said Mack in a press release. (credit:AP)
Former Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.)(13 of19)
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Talent, who once held the Senate seat Akin is running for, declined to endorse Akin on Monday."It's a decision he has to make," Talent said when asked whether Akin should step aside, according to the Los Angeles Times."I can't agree with anything [Akin] said," Talent later clarified. (credit:AP)
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.)(14 of19)
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"Now, Akin's choice of words isn't the real issue here. The real issue is a Republican party -- led by Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan -- whose policies on women and their health are dangerously wrong.I'm outraged at the Republicans trying to take women back to the dark ages -- if you agree, join me in taking a stand for women.Really, it's deeply concerning that Republicans continue to support legislation that is, quite literally, dangerous for women.Mitt Romney famously says he would "get rid of" federal funding for Planned Parenthood if he had the chance. His running mate, Paul Ryan, was one of more than 200 Republican cosponsors of a piece of legislation that would have narrowed the definition of rape.Can you imagine -- the same Republican House that refuses to pass a jobs bill jumped at the opportunity to make life harder for victims of rape?And what do Romney and Ryan think of Akin's latest statement? They've been trying to distance themselves from it -- but Congressman Ryan has already partnered with Akin on a whole host of issues that restrict women's ability to make their own health care decisions." (credit:AP)
Terry O'Neill, President Of The National Organization For Women(15 of19)
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"That kind of rhetoric re-traumatizes sexual assault victims. ... That kind of talk, I believe, is intended to shame women," she told the Associated Press radio, characterizing the remarks as "flat-out astonishing." (credit:AP)
Joe Scarborough, Host Of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" (16 of19)
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"There is a rule," he [Scarborough] continued, "that we conservatives have followed for a long time, and it's the 'Bill Buckley Rule.' You elect the most electable conservative. The person who is the most conservative and who is the most electable is the one you put on the ticket. That's the part of the equation that we're losing over the last three years. And it's making Harry Reid the majority leader." (credit:AP)
Petition By The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee(17 of19)
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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." Someone who believes nonsense like this has no part overseeing science policy. Tell Speaker Boehner to immediately remove Rep. Akin from the House Science and Technology Committee.
 (credit:AP)
Susan B. Anthony List(18 of19)
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"Congressman Akin, a longtime pro-life leader, has said he had misspoken, and no one is arguing that rape is anything but a despicable, horrible crime. "Abortion supporters like Sen. Claire McCaskill are trying to use this issue as a smokescreen to hide from their radical, pro-abortion records that are out of step with the majority of Missourians and the American people. On the issues of taxpayer funding of elective abortion in Obamacare, protection of unborn girls being targeted in the womb solely because of their gender, and whether children capable of feeling pain in the womb should be protected, President Obama and Senator McCaskill have been on the wrong side, showing that they favor abortion on-demand, for any reason, up to the moment of birth, subsidized by the taxpayers. "If President Obama and Senator McCaskill care to focus on extreme positions, it is time for self reflection. It is time to answer the question why this president has recently rejected bans on gender selection and late term abortions. "Todd Akin, on the other hand, has a record of voting to protect human life. His opponent does not. Congressman Akin has been an excellent partner in the fight for the unborn."
Tea Party Express(19 of19)
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Tea Party Express, the nation's largest tea party political action committee, is urging Congressman Todd Akin to resign his candidacy for the U.S. Senate.Tea Party Express Chairman Amy Kremer said, "Congressman Akin's comments this weekend are not just unfortunate and inappropriate, but they are distracting from our main goal of defeating Claire McCaskill and taking the Senate gavel out of the hands of Harry Reid. At a time when our national debt is approaching $16 trillion, job growth is stagnate, and the Senate has failed to pass a budget in over 3 years, we need a candidate that is ready to help lead the charge for conservative solutions."One of the lessons we learned in 2010 is that we need candidates who are not only conservative, but are capable of putting together a strong campaign against liberal opponents. Akin's frequent 'Bidenisms' are distracting from the important issues at hand."It is critical that we defeat Senator Claire McCaskill in November, but it will be too difficult to achieve that with Todd Akin as the conservative alternative. He should step down and give conservatives a chance at taking back the Senate in November," Kremer concluded. (credit:AP)
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