Politico reporter Dave Catanese took to Twitter to defend comments made by Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) about rape.
"Poor phrasing, but if you watch the intv @ToddAkin meant to convey that there's less chance of getting pregnant if raped," he said.
Akin told KTVI on Sunday that victims of "legimitate rape" don't usually get pregnant because women's bodies have "ways to try to shut that whole thing down." He later said he "misspoke" but did not disavow the claims.
Catanese tweeted that Akin's comments, while poorly phrased, were worth discussing.
"So perhaps some can agree that all rapes that are reported are not actually rapes? Or are we gonna really deny that for PC sake?" he said. "So looks like he meant to say -- 'If a woman was REALLY raped, it's statistically less likely for her to get pregnant.' What's the science?"
Contrary to Akin's claims, around 32,000 women get pregnant every year after being raped.
Catanese also took issue with Democrats' reaction to Akin's comments.
"The left is often 1st to shut down debate as "off limits" when it deems so. Aren't these moments supposed to open up a larger debate?"
UPDATE: Catanese addressed the controversy on Monday:
Related
Before You Go
