Todd Akin, a Republican running for Congress in Missouri, recently said that according to his knowledge as he’d heard it from doctors, the female body has ways to shut down a pregnancy if a rape wasn’t ‘legitimate.’ His comments have raised a national outcry, and have been widely condemned, with many Democrats, media sources and even President Barack Obama criticizing his statements.

As the public outfall became enormous, Akin later apologized for his comments, though it seems doubtful whether he’s seen any particular error in his ways beyond the risk of losing this election and ruining his career. The controversy has really hurt his chances, and his party has been trying to get Akin to step down as candidate, with even presidential candidate Mitt Romney decrying Akin’s comments.

Akin insists that he’ll keep on running and won’t step down; while he apologized for his particular comments, he has also stuck to his platform on outlawing abortion even in the case of rape, and refuses to apologize for his political stance. The latest polls have Akin dropping in the Missouri polls and he is currently on the same level as McCaskill.

Akin, the current US Representative for Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District, is running for the Senate seat of incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill, and had been leading in the latest polls before he made the aforementioned comments. McCaskill’s Senate seat was considered one of the more vulnerable seats for the GOP to target in an attempt to win a Senate majority in the upcoming 2012 Congressional elections, but Akin’s comments have thrown a harsh spotlight on his candidacy and rightfully raised questions about his suitability to represent the people.

Akin’s competency for his position on the House Science and Technology Committee has also been legitimately questioned in the wake of these comments, which demonstrate a lack of basic understanding of science and human biology- rape trauma provides no barrier to pregnancy and over 32,000 pregnancies from rape occur each year in the US.

On a more ideological level, the consistent opposition to women’s rights and autonomy that provided the context behind his statements are troubling to many potential voters, as is the implication that there is such a thing as not-actual or not-legitimate rape and the implication that if someone got pregnant they couldn’t actually have been raped.

It is unprofessional for a politician to not recognize that rape is rape and the fact that most rapes are not actually a “stranger jumping out of the bushes” but is often carried out by those in a position of trust; date rape, pushing yourself onto someone who is too drunk to fight back or asleep or unable to fairly consent, forcing or coercing a wife or girlfriend or close friend into sex is all still rape.

By the disturbing implication of a difference between ‘legitimate’ and such a thing as not actual rape he is invalidating the trauma that many people who’ve gone through rape have felt. This is a dangerous belief for an elected lawmaker, who would be involved in the creation of laws affecting women including rape victims and those at risk of rape, to hold.

This belief seems to come from a very old superstition that a woman couldn’t get pregnant if they didn’t have an orgasm, and that if they had an orgasm they liked it and that it thus wasn’t actually rape- a superstition that is very wrong on both counts. Even in this day and age, this belief is apparently widespread enough for Planned Parenthood to have to include it in the FAQ for their website.

While the Republican Party has tried to distance itself from Akin’s comments and put major pressure on him to step down from the Senate race, it is important to note that the GOP platform for their party convention in Tampa wouldn’t include abortion exemptions even for rape or incest- essentially identical in policy to Todd Akin.

Ultimately, the controversy over the remarks have returned the spotlight to the issue of increasing measures against women’s liberties and the push towards further extreme social conservatism by the Republican establishment. The GOP’s efforts to replace Akin’s candidacy thus seems to be more an attempt to salvage a chance at winning a seat crucial for a Senate majority than an actual concession on intended policy.

This is only the latest in a series of words, actions and laws where male lawmakers have essentially tried to limit and tell women what they experience, feel, and what they should and should not be able to do with their lives and bodies.

Along with the partisan opposition to the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and provisions of the Healthcare law that would eliminate discriminatory pricing of health insurance to woman and allow women to get basic healthcare needs easier, the GOP and their candidates look set to be increasingly alienating women voters, a dangerous tactic for both the immediate upcoming elections and the long-term prospects of the party.

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Former 2012 Presidential Candidate Jon Huntsman has announced that he will not be going to the GOP National Convention in August. The Former Utah Governor has attended every GOP Convention since 1984 when he was a delegate for Ronald Reagan. At the last Convention Huntsman announced the Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin.

Obama’s former ambassador to China told the Salt Lake Tribune: “I will not be attending this year’s convention, nor any Republican convention in the future, until the party focuses on a bigger, bolder, more confident future for the United States – a future based on problem solving, inclusiveness, and a willingness to address the trust deficit, which is every bit as corrosive as our fiscal and economic deficits.”

Huntsman left the presidential race in January of this year and endorsed Mitt Romney as the Republican candidate. Huntsman won three delegates during the race, two when he took third place in the New Hampshire primary and one from Texas. These three delegates would have guaranteed Huntsman a speaking part at the Convention.

Former New Hampshire GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen claims that Huntsman’s comments represent the independent nature of the former candidate.

This is not the first time Huntsman has butted heads with Republicans this year. In March of this year Huntsman was dropped from a Republican National Committee event that was being held in Palm Beach after comments he made about having a third party in America.

Huntsman stated, “I think we’re going to have problems politically until we get some sort of third party movement or some voice out there that can put forth new ideas. We might not win, but we can certainly influence the debate.” Huntsman was lined up to speak at the “Regents” event but was informed personally by the RNC Chairman Reince Preibus that he would not be allowed to attend.

Huntsman is not the only Republican who was invited and is not going to the Convention. Virginia Senate Candidate George Allen is also planning to not attend, but not for ideological reasons. Instead, the candidate claims that he wants to stay in state to talk to constituents and continue to campaign.

Similarly, many Democrats are skipping the Democratic Convention in September 2012 to try to garner more votes. Representative Steve Israel, the head of the House Campaign side of the Democratic Party, encouraged those who are running for election in 2012 to stay home because “if they want to win an election, they need to be in their district” he added “I don’t care if the president was at 122% favorability right now. I think [candidates] should be in their district.”

Missourian Senator Claire McCaskill agrees with Israel and was originally criticized for not going. McCaskill stated, “I’ve got a really hard election. If you had a really hard election and it was after Labor Day, would you go to North Carolina to a bunch of parties and glad-handing or would you stay home and work as hard as you know how to convince Missourians they should rehire you?” She also claims that she is not trying to distance herself from Obama.

Huntsman’s decision to stay home from the GOP Convention is unique in its ideological origins. Huntsman claims that the Republican party must “put our country before politics.” He also stated, “I encourage a return to the party we have been in the past from Lincoln right on through to Reagan, that was always willing to put our country before politics.”

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore

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