Rape gaffe Akin hangs on

Published on 23/08/2012 00:00

Republican Representative Todd Akin yesterday again dismissed calls from party leaders that he drop out of the Missouri Senate race after his bizarre remarks on abortion and rape.

Mr Akin has been under fire since Sunday when he said it was extremely rare for rape victims to get pregnant. He backtracked on several morning TV programmes yesterday, saying he was wrong to say the female body could shut down reproduction when raped.

“The people of Missouri chose me, and I don’t believe it’s right for party bosses to decide to override those voters,” he told ABC’s Good Morning America. “It makes me uncomfortable to think that the party bosses are going to dictate who runs, as opposed to the election process,” he added. But when pressed, he did not rule out stepping down later.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has called on him to quit after Mr Akin said it was extremely rare for women to get pregnant from “legitimate rape”.