Todd Akin Attacked in Ads Featuring Survivors of Rape
Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill released a number of television ads attacking GOP senate challenger Todd Akin featuring rape survivors talking about their experiences and criticizing the representative's previous comments on "legitimate rape."
Akin's comment in August that women's bodies could prevent pregnancies in cases of "legitimate rape" stirred up a political firestorm for the Republican Party, causing a number of leaders, including GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, to ask him to step down from his position. Akin refused, but apologized in a video for his remarks.
McCaskill's ads bring the issue back to light, however, and feature three women sharing their rape experiences and the choices they made regarding taking emergency contraception, which Akin stands against. One of the ads features a mother who calls herself a "woman of faith," and is a member of the Republican Party, who said that she is pro-life and decided not to take the contraception after she was attacked, but still supports a woman's individual right to choose.
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Representatives of Todd Akin did not respond to phone calls and email messages from The Christian Post by time of press, and the Missouri politician has not yet made a statement addressing the hard-hitting ads.
Akin has clearly stated his views on abortion, however, saying at an interview in August with Kansas City radio station KCMO: "As far as I'm concerned, the morning-after pill is a form of abortion. I think we just shouldn't have abortion in this country."
The GOP Senate candidate has also received support from a number of small donor candidates backing his pro-life position.
"I believe the state of the campaign is looking better and better," Akin said in a debate with McCaskill in September.
Former GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, Tea Party favorite Sen. Jim DeMint and former Arkansas governor and Fox News host Mike Huckabee have all stood behind Akin, insisting that he deserves a second chance and his entire career should not be condemned for his mistaken comments on rape.
Atkin has released his own ads against McCaskill, switching the focus back to politics and accusing the senator's family of pocketing $40 million of federal subsidies.
The ad calls McCaskill "corrupt Claire," and claims that she is "getting rich off government" by citing a report released earlier this week that reveals that McCaskill's husband received almost $40 million of federal housing subsidies during her first five years in office.
McCaskill has defended herself against these accusations, noting that none of that federal money was injected into her family's bank accounts.
"It's bad enough that Todd Akin would attack Claire's family, it's worse that he is now basing his entire campaign on a lie," McCaskill spokeswoman Caitlin Legacki said. "This latest attack has been proven false and he knows it."
McCaskill's strategy has been focused on discrediting Akin's attempts to get voters on his side, insisting that his "rape" comments were not accidental but revealing of extreme religious beliefs.
