Republican Indiana Senate Candidate Mourdock Sparks Firestorm: Conception From Rape ‘Is Something That God Intended’
Yet another Republican has sparked a mini-firestorm over comments about women and rapte — this one in a close Senate race. GOPers are now trying to play defense and distance themselves from his remarks, but not repudiate him since they want and need the Senate seat and Democrats are jumping all over the comments:
Richard Mourdock, the Indiana Republican Senate candidate, came under fire Tuesday night for comments suggesting that pregnancies occurring from rape are the result of God’s will.
At a Tuesday night debate during which Mourdock was asked about his position on abortion, he said the procedure should be allowed only to save the life of a mother.
“I know there are some who disagree, and I respect their point of view, but I believe that life begins at conception,” Mourdock said at a debate with Democratic opponent Rep. Joe Donnelly and libertarian Andrew Horning. “The only exception I have to have an abortion is in that case of the life of the mother.”
Mourdock added: “I just struggled with it myself for a long time but I came to realize: Life is that gift from God that I think even if life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.”
And thus a political ad (for the Democrats) has been born as well as another sound bite some Super PACs will likely twin with sound bites from some other GOPers on the subject. You can see this coming a mile away:
The Indiana Democratic Party and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in Washington immediately jumped on the comments, comparing them with the firestorm over remarks made by Todd Akin, the Missouri Senate GOP candidate who defended his opposition to abortion in cases of rape by saying “legitimate rape” rarely leads to pregnancies and forces female bodies to shut down.
“As a pro-life Catholic, I’m stunned and ashamed that Richard Mourdock believes God intended rape,” said Dan Parker, chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party.
“Victims of rape are victims of an extremely violent act, and mine is not a violent God. Do we need any more proof that Richard Mourdock is an extremist who’s out of touch with Hoosiers?”
The Mourdock campaign immediately put out a statement clarifying his statement and rejecting the Democratic outcry.
“God creates life, and that was my point,” Mourdock said in the statement. “God does not want rape, and by no means was I suggesting that He does. Rape is a horrible thing, and for anyone to twist my words otherwise is absurd and sick.”
Mitt Romney, who cut an ad for Mourdock this week urging Hoosier State voters to elect the Republican, distanced himself from the GOP candidate’s remarks Tuesday night.
But, as Buzzfeed notes, Romney is expressing disagreement with Mourdock — and that’s about it:
A spokesperson for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said he disagrees with Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock’s comments on rape and abortion Tuesday night.
In a debate with his opponents, Mourdock, who started broadcasting an ad featuring Mitt Romney’s endorsement just yesterday, said that it is God’s plan for women who are impregnated by rape to have the child, saying he opposes abortion except for instances where the life of the mother is at risk.
“I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize life is that gift from God,” Mourdock said. “And I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.”
“Gov. Romney disagrees with Richard Mourdock’s comments, and they do not reflect his views,” said Romney press secretary Andrea Saul in a statement. Romney is supportive of allowing abortion in cases of rape and incest.
Saul did not respond when asked if Romney continues to endorse Mourdock or if he would ask the candidate to stop airing the ad.
Stay tuned to your favorite talk radio show or cablestation to hear more outrage and defense of Mourdock…
You can see this igniting on Twitter. A selection of Tweets:
9h American Bridge ?@American_Bridge
Romney: “”This fall, I’m supporting Richard Mourdock.” – Mourdock: Pregnancy from rape is “something God intended.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdnnETAyGmM …
PNew DNC Video:: Mitt Romney: Extremely Conservative and Endorsing Richard Mourdock
7h ANNE LAMOTT ?@ANNELAMOTTPoor Mitt. His ad endorsing Mourdock just came out 24 hrs ago. Mourdock is new Todd Akin. Gonna get that binder of women all agitated again.
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7h Donna Brazile ?@donnabrazile
This is not good enough! It is time to take a stand Mr.Romney and not just distance yourself from Mourdock’s comments http://zite.to/T9IhPs7h James Morrison ?@JamesPMorrison
Women take note: Romney/Ryan & Mourdock aim to put you down and keep you down. They are as violent in their oppression of you as the rapist.7h Big Bird ?@BlGBlRD
BREAKING: In a statement from some cave in Pakistan, the Taliban endorsed Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock for US senate.8h Sabrina Siddiqui ?@SabrinaSiddiqui
“Please, please send us Richard Mourdock. We need this man in the United States Senate” — Paul Ryan last month http://bit.ly/TeCxs98h DCCC ?@dccc
SIGN AND RETWEET – Tell Mitt Romney to denounce Richard Mourdock for his disgusting anti-woman views: http://dems.me/UzSLy08h Andrew Kaczynski ?@BuzzFeedAndrew
The ad Romney cut for Mourdock is the only ad he’s done for a Congressional/Senatorial candidate this election.
Expand9h Josh Barro ?@jbarro
I’m not sure what god intends for me to have for breakfast tomorrow. Can someone ask Richard Mourdock?
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9h e mcmorris-santoro ?@evanmc_s
prediction: main photo on Richard Mourdock’s Facebook page will be changed soon http://twitpic.com/b6vehz
View photo
9h Chris Harris ?@ChrisHarrisKS
Romney called on Akin to drop out. He endorsed Mourdock. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdnnETAyGmM …9h American Bridge ?@American_Bridge
NEW VIDEO: The Romney-Mourdock Ticket http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdnnETAyGmM …9h David Waldman ?@KagroX
Todd Akin believes women’s bodies defy what Richard Mourdock says is God’s will. Republican Civil War.10h Jeff S ?@AlliedBiscuit
If you live in Indiana and don’t vote for Joe Donnelly over Richard Mourdock you seriously need to reevaluate your life http://www.youtube.com/watch?10h Kaili Joy Gray ?@KailiJoy
Mourdock isn’t extraordinary. He’s just a Republican: http://shar.es/cGxEQ10h Melissa Clouthier ?@MelissaTweets
I stand with Richard Mourdock and the culture of life. #INSen10h Timothy P Carney ?@TPCarney
Seriously shameful stuff from liberals distorting Mourdock. I’m embarrassed for some journos I respect. Good night.
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10h Dana Loesch ?@DLoesch
The same people who feted and accused rapist at the DNC are feigning outrage at Mourdock’s totally non-offensive remark. #INsen10h Ethan Klapper ?@ethanklapper
Headline from just this morning: “Mitt Romney cuts ad for Richard Mourdock, calls him ’51st vote’ to repeal Obamacare” http://huff.to/VBDgXC10h Luke Russert ?@LukeRussert
McConnell has to be beyond furious. Christine O’Donnell/Angle to Akin/Mourdock sinking his chance at being Majority Leader. #GOP10h Adam Smith ?@asmith83
Mitch McConnell was in Indiana yesterday for a fundraiser with Mourdock. http://bit.ly/QUi47J . He may not be too happy tonight.11h Jacob Perry ?@jacobperry
Shorter #INSen Dems: “OMG! Mourdock believes in an omniscient God who can turn evil into good! WE CAN’T ELECT THAT BIGOT!” #tolerance
This story will take up a chunk of the political news cycle today. It’s a great story for the media — outrageous comments often are — and it provides great material for left (outrage) and right (play defense) talk show and cable political show hosts. The bottom line: it’s unlikely to help Mourdock and isn’t something Team Romney wants to talk about right now.
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His comeback statement in clarifying rape: ” “God creates life.”
Some view God as policeman… now we have God as rapist….
Kansas City Star: Reports that Todd Akin was arrested multiple times protesting at abortion clinics…
http://midwestdemocracy.com/articles/report-akin-was-arrested-multiple-times-outside-abortion-clinics/
Use to play this song when the fundamentalist terrorist would strike… now i play when thinking of about half of the U.S. Senate…
I Ain’t Afraid… has a play button right before the lyrics..
http://unionsong.com/u202.html
“Watch out for the ego of the hour
The ones who say they know it
Are the ones who will impose it on you “
Unfortunately, this is the way numerous Republicans talk with each other, especially Tea Party types. This is not to indict all Republican’s with these kinds of reprehensible Akin/Mourdock comments. However, since Clinton’s last term, Republicans seem to have become unbalanced. I was a fiscal conservative who always voted Republican, until 1996. That was when I noticed that social conservatives and evangelicals started becoming an increasingly important part of the GOP, moving me primarily to the Democratic side. As a Jew, I did not have positive attitude toward evangelical Christians who had harassed me my entire youth as Christ Killer etc.
In my college days, I was heavily involved with the Freedom Riders. A significant portion of the people involved were Jewish with our fight for equal rights, for blacks as well as ourselves. I was not on the front lines of these protests but I was there in Mississippi and Alabama handing the logistics, food lodging etc. This experience reinforced my Republicanism since the south back then was almost exclusively Democrat.
Our protests and marches were usually on Sundays since it was then we could gather the most participants. These marches were met by every Christian church in each town with the congregants hurling stones and the most foul language imaginable against both blacks and Jews. To this day I am suspicious of social conservatives and their motives. Using the Bible as a weapon is something G-d of my understanding would abhor.
This is a long story to why I find people and politicians like Mourdock reprehensible.
Aholes come in all varieties and religions.
There was a recent commenter here at TMV — I can’t recall his handle — super nice guy, really wanted to find common ground, and was very pro-life, informed by his Catholic faith. After a very long discussion, we did come down to the true point of difference, which was that I saw my body as belonging to myself, and he saw my body as belonging to God. If my body belongs to me, of course I get to decide what does or does not grow inside of it, using my bloodstream and organs. If my body belongs to God, whether I think of a rape pregnancy as a curse or a blessing, I should endure, because my body is not my own. If Murdoch was genuine in his statement (if he was expressing what he actually believes, as I believe the previously mentioned commenter did), then his statement must be based on the same principle.
My problem, of course, is that while I’m perfectly happy for Murdock to give his own body to God to do as God pleases, it’s absolutely not his place to legally give my body to a god that I don’t even believe in. It doesn’t belong to Him; He can’t have it.
^^Not to mention the total arrogance it takes on the part of these guys to presume to know what god wants done with my body in the first place.
Oh boy an new twist on “Your side does it too.”
It should be remembered that when it comes down to it both Mourdock and Akin are simply providing the justifications used by social conservatives for the positions enshrined in the Republican Party platform. No abortion, no exceptions except the life of the mother. As far as Akin’s arrests goes, I saw plenty of his kind when I worked at Planned Parenthood in the early ’90s.
jdledell that is when i remember the sea change of nasty politics with the fundamentalist..Ken Star and Gingrich… wonder if Gingrich would be considered the Grandfather of the Tea Party Movement?
I use to have to drive past an planned parenthood each day and in the mid eighties those protests were scary places….
The following comment comes from a police officer that use to be called to the clinics…reminded me of what you shared of your time in the South…
“As a police officer I had to respond to disturbances at clinics (not related to his). One of the things I was always known as was being impartial, but these protestor leaders were the biggest (insert word here), being verbally abuse to me and other officers, calling us sinners and demanding to know how much the clincs paid us to assist them in killing babies.
I’d see kids from schools who would come down there to protest be shocked at the behaviour of some of these creeps.”
Where do they get these guys?
His statement was lousy politics but also lousy theology. God doesn’t will suffering, but He does permit it because He gives us free will. Love can conquer the evil in the world but to do so it often means that we have to embrace the suffering.
In the realm of politics and the law, of course, that becomes complicated because people shouldn’t be mandated to accept that theological precept.
CStanley,
There is an interesting discussion of the theology, somewhat along the lines you articulate at WaPo’s On Faith section.
Thanks for the song OS, it gets to the nitty gritty!
Exactly. This is REPUBLICAN problem and it is systemic. The thinking behind it is B-A-C-K-W-A-R-D. Please keep your crazy god and your crazy godtalk and your crazy wish to control other people OUT of government and far, far, away from normal intelligent people
.
As I mentioned on the other post, when one suggests that such people are “imposing” their God and His commandments on them, they must assume first that the life inside the mother is not human (or that it should have no rights). Why not?
I know the arguments from both sides. I know that the quantity of abortions performed in this country alone exceeds one million each year. I know that most of those children could have been put up for adoption. I know that most women who get abortions already have children. I know that most of the people commenting here will likely hate my pov. Never the less, I find Roro80′s comment the most reasonable one.
She believes that she should have the right to decide what happens with her body (any other life be damned). That is a legitimate secular argument. Whether or not it is fair is another question. I do not have the right to impinge on others rights (particularly life).
The reason I mention this is that it took a very long time to get third trimester abortions better-regulated. It is increasingly more possible to keep a child alive when taken earlier and earlier. At absolute minimum, I believe that NO ABORTION should be performed that is DESIGNED to kill the baby. If the baby dies when being taken out (through a method that might otherwise keep it alive), then secularly I have less of an argument against the procedure. Taking the baby apart limb from limb or scalding it with acid to induce a miscarriage is inhumane and evil.
Thus, if you will give me some relief of my greatest horrors, I will give you some of your dignity. Let’s agree that there are too many abortions, that some of the procedures should be banned and that women should be counseled that they may have nightmares and serious psychological problems afterwards.
Btw, the woman who won her case in Roe vs. Wade has since found that she very, very much wishes she had not undergone the procedure.
Breaking News! No one is for abortion! The termination of a pregnancy is a medical procedure that is covered as any other doctor patient procedure, by the confidentiality doctrine that a doctor has with his or her patient.
Uneducated white men should wake up. If they accidently impregnate their sister or their girlfriend and there are medical complications, it may be helpful if the decision made is made by the woman and her doctor and not by an intrusive government.
Get over it. Move on. It’s none of your business.
Amen! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it as long as necessary: If men were capable of getting pregnant this would never have become an issue in the first place.