A few months ago Senate Candidate Todd Akin said something totally stupid about rape and abortion. Akin said "if it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” As we tend to do when faced with charges of being anti-female, Republicans (including myself) over re-acted, urged him Akin to drop out of the race, cut off funding and (I believe) banned him from entering any retail store selling home made ice cream.
The day after making his dumb remark, Akin apologized--said it wasn't what he meant to say, and the way it came out was very wrong. The GOP which abandoned him was also wrong (the only Republican in office who did not abandon Akin was Jim DeMint).
Abandoning Akin did not help the GOP fight the nonsensical progressive charges of a war on women, but actually hurt. All of a sudden everything a Republican ever said about abortion was evil--and attacked.
Now we get to Richard Mourdock. Mourdock has fallen victim to the great Democratic Party Abortion lie and the GOP overreaction.
I've met Mourdock a few times and believe strongly that if elected in two weeks, he will be an important addition to the US Senate. Not only because of his conservative positions, but because he is a truly decent person. We need more of those in Washington.
During a debate against Democrat Joe Donnelly on Tuesday Muordoch said when a woman becomes pregnant during rape "it is something that God intended."
His words seemed very clear to me. Mourdoch was not saying as the Democrat's claim that rape is "God's will." What his statement clearly meant is if you believe God creates all life, than even a life created via a horrible, awful circumstance such as rape was was created by God.
After the Democratic Party uproar, Mitt Romney disavowed what should have been a non-controversial statement. Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire canceled plans to campaign with Mourdock. Even more disappointing Rep Mike Pence issued a statement Wednesday saying he strongly disagreed with Mourdock's comment and he should apologize.
Thankfully Sen. John Cornyn leader of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (who was one of the first to abandon Akin) is standing by Mourdock, saying the candidate's comments are being construed in an "irresponsible and ridiculous" manner and Jim DeMint is on his way to Indiana to campaign with Mourdock.
Yesterday Mourdock defended what he said:
"I said life is precious. I believe life is precious. I believe rape is a brutal act. It is something that I abhor. That anyone could come away with any meaning other than what I just said is regrettable, and for that I apologize.I've certainly been humbled by the fact that so many people think that somehow was an interpretation."When I was younger I was pro-choice. My mind was changed at my wife's first sonogram when she pregnant with my oldest child. When I heard that strong discernible heart beat---no one could ever convince me that this little thing inside her was not the same living breathing human who know asks me for money, complains about her boyfriend, and asks me to drive her all over the place.
I do believe that life begins at conception. Making babies is a miracle created by God to allow man to participate in the creation of the Earth. The Bible says man was created in God's image, helping God to create life is one of those ways we are in "God's Image."
As horrible and disgusting as rape is, I agree with Murdock that a life created by the brutal act of rape is still a life. And I strongly object to the changing of the intent of his words for political fodder.
My personal feeling is if one believes life begins at conception than one cannot believe that the abortion of a baby conceived via the horrible act of rape is somehow not the destruction of an innocent life. But I can understand why people make that exception.
There are exceptions in my beliefs also. If carrying a child threatens the life of the mother, abortion is warranted in my perception. It is defending the mother's life. Even though no fault of the child, in the end it is no different than shooting someone who is about to kill you. That's why the commandment is Don't murder, not Don't kill--protecting a life is not murder (IMHO)
The other exception is if the child has a horrible disease. My wife's family has the Tay-Sachs gene, she has never been tested for the gene, but thankfully I don't so it was never necessary to test her (actually what she said was "I am carrying this baby for nine months-YOU get the test. It's something YOU can do").
Tay-Sachs babies begin suffering horribly quickly after birth and usually die around aged four. Again, if genetic testing shows the child to be conceived with a horrible disease such as Tay-Sachs, I believe that an abortion is the protection from a short life of suffering and no different than not artificially extending the life of someone with a fatal disease. Call me a hypocrite but after many years of thought, that's what I believe.
This is the first time my personal views on abortion have been discussed on this site. My purpose in discussing it today is not to vent or cleanse my soul, but to demonstrate that reasonable people can differ on this subject. My pro-life position does not make me anti-woman (my mom, wife, and daughter, all happen to be of that particular gender).
The fact that Richard Mourdock is pro-life even in the case of rape and incest does not mean he is anti-woman (I have it on good authority that Mourdock's mom and wife are also women).
Mourdock did not misspeak, he presented a legitimate belief. It will be an absolute shame if we allow the candidacy of this future GOP star and decent human being to be harmed by the "Great Democratic Party Abortion Lie" and the GOP overreaction.
Mourdock's campaign site can be found here please do all that you can to help him fight the lie.
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