"Legitimate Rape Rarely Produces Pregnancy"

I guess that I always like to be the fly in the ointment, but I've listened to the clip several times and the inflection in his voice to me merely seems to imply that "if it REALLY IS a rape," that yada, yada, yada. In other words, if its a rape and not a woman claiming rape after having had consensual sex. I don't think he was using the words "legitimate" and "rape" conjunctively. Now, as to "doctors" saying that the body can shut that down, that seems pretty far-fetched to me, but I don't think he was in any way suggesting there is such a thing as "legitimate rape."

The real question posed is trying to ask a politician who is opposed to abortion if there are circumstances or exceptions by which he would concede abortion should be allowed. I wish a politician would have the cahones simple to answer "no," and then on this tough issue simply say that we are going to value the life of a child over even the horrific circumstances in which the child was created, and leave it at that.

Originally Posted by Hearsay

I guess that I always like to be the fly in the ointment, but I've listened to the clip several times and the inflection in his voice to me merely seems to imply that "if it REALLY IS a rape," that yada, yada, yada. In other words, if its a rape and not a woman claiming rape after having had consensual sex. I don't think he was using the words "legitimate" and "rape" conjunctively. Now, as to "doctors" saying that the body can shut that down, that seems pretty far-fetched to me, but I don't think he was in any way suggesting there is such a thing as "legitimate rape."

The real question posed is trying to ask a politician who is opposed to abortion if there are circumstances or exceptions by which he would concede abortion should be allowed. I wish a politician would have the cahones simple to answer "no," and then on this tough issue simply say that we are going to value the life of a child over even the horrific circumstances in which the child was created, and leave it at that.

As usual, I totally agree.

Originally Posted by Habib

I don't think there is any debate that this is what he said. The controversy is that 1.) someone actually believes this fantasy (which takes quite a bit of willful ignorance and delusion) and 2.) "legitimate rape" implies that he dismisses most of what we call rape as "illegitimate," i.e. consensual (this is not a new thing, but it is brazenly put here). This is a person who has an actual say in policymaking and votes on women's issues.

In my legal experience, I would say that about half of the women claiming rape have either later retracted their claim or evidence later suggested that the rape claim was improvised. If it is not half it is certainly a significant percentage, and the issue is epidemic among the current 14-25 female age group. I know that opens up a whole new can of worms, but statistics will tell us that there are not only 5-10 women on this very board who have been raped, but 5-10 men on this board whom at one time or another have been falsely accused.

I'm amazed most of the fuss of this issue is the over the words 'legitimate rape' and not the words that 'the woman's body shuts down during rape and doesn't allow a pregnancy to occur.'

Like Spin said, that may be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Especially from an elected official.

Originally Posted by Hearsay

In my legal experience, I would say that about half of the women claiming rape have either later retracted their claim or evidence later suggested that the rape claim was improvised. If it is not half it is certainly a significant percentage, and the issue is epidemic among the current 14-25 female age group. I know that opens up a whole new can of worms, but statistics will tell us that there are not only 5-10 women on this very board who have been raped, but 5-10 men on this board whom at one time or another have been falsely accused.

Those are chilling statistics.

Originally Posted by PurplePride92

I'm amazed most of the fuss of this issue is the over the words 'legitimate rape' and not the words that 'the woman's body shuts down during rape and doesn't allow a pregnancy to occur.'

Like Spin said, that may be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Especially from an elected official.

I guess I've been around longer than you.

If there's a demographic that I do expect to hear dumb things from, elected officials are pretty high on my list.

Originally Posted by PurplePride92

I'm amazed most of the fuss of this issue is the over the words 'legitimate rape' and not the words that 'the woman's body shuts down during rape and doesn't allow a pregnancy to occur.'

Like Spin said, that may be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Especially from an elected official.

Given some of the things that have been posted on here over the years that's a blold claim. Politicians and ignorant statements go together.

Ok...I agree with Hearsay regarding the use of "legitimate" here. I also agree with his experiential conclusions of legitimate claims of rape vs. False claims.

So, my focus now is on the speakers assumptions of the functionality of the female reproductive system.

Originally Posted by rockmom

Ok...I agree with Hearsay regarding the use of "legitimate" here. I also agree with his experiential conclusions of legitimate claims of rape vs. False claims.

So, my focus now is on the speakers assumptions of the functionality of the female reproductive system.

You mean the "drawbridge" mechanism? It's common knowledge that when a woman is violated against her will that within her is the drawbridge that retracts the fallopian tubes and ovaries and shuts them down for business.

A good friend of mine is an anti-abortion speaker. Here is a picture of her son, whom she conceived through rape.

Originally Posted by Hearsay

I guess that I always like to be the fly in the ointment, but I've listened to the clip several times and the inflection in his voice to me merely seems to imply that "if it REALLY IS a rape," that yada, yada, yada. In other words, if its a rape and not a woman claiming rape after having had consensual sex. I don't think he was using the words "legitimate" and "rape" conjunctively. Now, as to "doctors" saying that the body can shut that down, that seems pretty far-fetched to me, but I don't think he was in any way suggesting there is such a thing as "legitimate rape."

The real question posed is trying to ask a politician who is opposed to abortion if there are circumstances or exceptions by which he would concede abortion should be allowed. I wish a politician would have the cahones simple to answer "no," and then on this tough issue simply say that we are going to value the life of a child over even the horrific circumstances in which the child was created, and leave it at that.

You said that about 500 times better than I did

Originally Posted by Colonels_Wear_Blue

A good friend of mine is an anti-abortion speaker. Here is a picture of her son, whom she conceived through rape.

That's a great picture. Obviously her body didn't get the memo that it was a rape and shut down, thank God!

Originally Posted by spindoc

You mean the "drawbridge" mechanism? It's common knowledge that when a woman is violated against her will that within her is the drawbridge that retracts the fallopian tubes and ovaries and shuts them down for business.

Never heard of it. Does that mean he's right in his thought process if not in how he said it?

Originally Posted by PurplePride92

I'm amazed most of the fuss of this issue is the over the words 'legitimate rape' and not the words that 'the woman's body shuts down during rape and doesn't allow a pregnancy to occur.'

Like Spin said, that may be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Especially from an elected official.

Most of the reactions I've read have been fairly split on the rape-detecting uterus and the "legitimate" rape angles, if not favoring the former. I don't think it's been overlooked.

Originally Posted by 75center

Never heard of it. Does that mean he's right in his thought process if not in how he said it?

Man, I was totally kidding. However, my bullcrap sounded much more logical than that politician's, didn't it?

Originally Posted by 75center

Never heard of it. Does that mean he's right in his thought process if not in how he said it?

I think that is what he was trying to say. To me he was inferring that some studies out there may support that. Who knows? Seems far-fetched to me, but the human body is strange.

Guys,,,,I was joking. There's NO good literature that would support that there is any more likelihood that a woman avoid pregnancy after rape than there is after a drunken orgy she participated in willfully.

I know you were joking, but this guy did not appear to be. That is who I was talking about.

Originally Posted by bugatti

I know you were joking, but this guy did not appear to be. That is who I was talking about.

Thus the ruckus that has followed.

First, let me caution you to scrutinize anything you read on the internet (reminds me of the commercial of the blonde who says "they can't put it on the internet if it's not true" "where'd you hear that?", "the internet") with regards to medical research.

For instance, I found only one article in the New England Journal of Medicine (very reliable and credible resource, medically speaking) that had anything to do with the probability of pregnancy after an alleged rape. They had theorized that perhaps it was enzymatically altered. There was a consideration for hormonal issues and changes during the cycle. In the end, their conclusion was simply that there is not greater probability of pregnancy or miscarriage after alleged rape than any other. I tried to link the stupid article and something is up with my computer. I can't link a thing. I don't know if it's a setting or not.