The Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, Tom smith, a wealthy business man, stepped into the rape/abortion controversy. Smith, in commenting on U.S. Representative Todd Akin’s infamous statement about rape and abortion, compared a pregnancy conceived by rape to a pregnancy conceived simply out of wedlock.
When speaking to the Pennsylvania Press Club, Smith remarked that he disapproved of the “legitimate rape” comment by Congressman Todd Akin (R-MO), but agreed with his stance on banning all abortion including in cases of rape. According to the Huffington Post, when asked how he would feel if his daughter conceived by rape Smith stated he ‘lived [through] something similar to that’. ‘She chose life, and I commend her for that,’ he said. ‘She knew my views. But, fortunately for me, I didn’t have to … she chose the way I thought. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t rape.’
When asked to clarify what he meant by a similar situation to rape, Congressman Smith said ‘having a baby out of wedlock.’ When asked explicitly by reporter if it is similar to rape Smith responded ‘No, no, no,…But, well, put yourself in a father’s position. Yes, I mean, it is similar.’
Later that evening, a representative of Smith’s campaign issued a statement ‘Tom was speaking to the difficult decision faced by his family, not the nature of his daughters conception.’
Media Resources: Businessweek 8/28/12; Newsday 8/28/12; Huffington Post 8/27/12; Feminist Newswire 8/24/12
