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Akin says he was wrong to apologize for "legitimate rape" comment

Kristofor Husted
/
KBIA

A former Missouri Republican congressmember whose "legitimate rape" comments during the 2012 U.S. Senate campaign were roundly criticized now says he was wrong to apologize.

Todd Akin says in a new book that his remarks on whether abortion should be legal in cases of rape were taken out of context and led to his quote "political assassination" and betrayal by GOP allies.

Akin lost to Democrat Claire McCaskill in 2012 following the firestorm surrounding his comments. He led McCaskill in the polls before he said in an interview that in regard to pregnancies from rape, quote, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."

Akin's book, called "Firing Back: Taking on the Party Bosses and Media Elite to Protect Our Faith and Freedom" will be released next week, but The Associated Press obtained a copy from the publisher.

Akin writes he believes stress affects conception, and asks "what could be more stressful than a rape?" He also says a "library of research on the subject" can be found on Google.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
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