Todd Akins triggers some good writing, at least
You’ve heard about Todd Akins, the Republican nominee for Senate in Missouri, right? The guy who actually said:
“First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare,” Akin told KTVI-TV. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”
Obviously there’s been a big reaction to that douchebaggery all over the internet, and dude has since tried to walk back his comments, so I don’t need to go into that noise.
Here’s some cool writing that has come out of this “discussion” about rape, though.
Eve Ensler: Dear Mr. Akin, I Want You to Imagine…
Jessica Valenti: The Seven Stages of Feminist Grief (Todd Akin edition)
Mallory Ortberg at The Awl: Other Things Missouri Representative Todd Akin Believes To Be True About The Uterus, Besides Its Ability To “Shut Down” A Legitimate Rape
Anne Gerhart, Washington Post: Rep. Akin’s comments just the latest attempt to define rape — and women
Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon.com: A guide to “legitimate” rape — This is a nice spelling out of what rape laws around the country are for the uninformed.