Tagged: rape

Embattled Missouri Republican Congressman Todd Akin says he plans to stay in the race for U.S. Senate.

The fallout from Akin’s comments about pregnancies caused by “legitimate rape” has prompted a storm of criticism, including fellow Republicans, many of whom say Akin should withdraw his candidacy for Senate immediately.  

The conservative PAC Crossroads GPS is pulling its ads from the Missouri race.  The group had originally booked a new round of ads to start Wednesday but opted instead to cancel them.

Missouri’s GOP Senate candidate Todd Akin is facing a wave of criticism for comments he made during an interview about pregnancies caused by rape.

Akin is a six-term congressman and a Tea Party favorite challenging incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill.

Speaking during an interview on Fox2’s Jaco Report Akin was asked if he would support abortion in cases when a woman was raped.

Akin replied that pregnancies caused by rape are rare and that women have some kind of biological defense to prevent pregnancy in these situations.

The amount Missouri hospitals charge the state for examinations to collect evidence from sexual assault victims varies widely between hospitals.

Lawmakers say the state should set a cap on the rates it pays.

Data from the Department of Public Safety shows the state paid $35.40 for a lab test at a Kansas City hospital and more than $1,500 for an examination at a Harrisonville hospital. The state paid an average of about $784 per examination last year.