Outrage as GOP Senate candidate claims women DON'T get pregnant from rape 'because their bodies SHUT DOWN'

Todd Akin, a nominee for Senate in Missouri, made remarks in TV interview

GOP representative has no-exception rule in his anti-abortion stance

Akin later backtracked after being widely criticized, saying his comments were 'off-the-cuff' and he had 'deep empathy' for rape victims



A Republican representative has said that women don't become pregnant if they are the victim of a 'legitimate' rape while explaining his anti-abortion views on TV.



Todd Akin, a nominee for Senate in Missouri, also told the Jaco Report that it was rare for a woman to become pregnant after being raped because the 'female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down '.

The GOP senate hopeful was explaining his no-exception rule when it comes to abortion.



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Pulling no punches: Mr Akin, known for his strict anti-abortion stance, said on television in August that it was rare for women to become pregnant after being raped

'First of all, from what I understand from doctors, (pregnancy from rape) is really rare,' the GOP stalwart told KTVI-TV.



'If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.'

He went on to say: 'But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child.'

Akin has served six terms and describes himself as Missouri's most conservative congressman. He is running against Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill.

After Akin made the remarks, Senator McCaskill tweeted: 'As a woman & former prosecutor who handled 100s of rape cases, I'm stunned by Rep Akin's comments about victims this AM.'

McCaskill's campaign spokesman added: 'Akin's record is riddled with policies and votes that hurt women.'

As Twitter buzzed with comments criticizing Akin's opinions, he quickly sought to backtrack.



A statement from Akin read: 'In reviewing my off-the-cuff remarks, it's clear that I misspoke in this interview and it does not reflect the deep empathy I hold for the thousands of women who are raped and abused every year.'



Voicing his opinion: Rep Akin spoke to TV station KTVI in St Louis this morning

Opinions: Senate candidate Representative Todd Akin said that women were unlikely to get pregnant from 'legitimate rape'

According to Talking Points Memo Akin voted in 1991 for an anti-marital-rape law. At the time, he queried whether the legislation might be misused 'in a real messy divorce as a tool and a legal weapon to beat up on the husband'.

Akin was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1988. He is a vocal anti-abortion campaigner with no exceptions for rape or incest.

Akin's website bears the motto: 'Timeless principles for today's challenges'. He opposes embryonic stem cell research and stands firmly behind the right to bear arms.

Akin has a history of stirring up controversy with his remarks. Last June, he said that TV network NBC's decision to cut the words 'under God' from a video clip of the Pledge of Allegiance was the work of liberals in the media motivated by a 'hatred of God'.



He refused to apologize for the statement and clarified his remark by saying he did not mean that liberals hated God but 'public references of God'.



The 65-year-old military veteran married wife Lulli in 1975 and the couple have six children.

Akin is active in the Boy Scouts of America, a leader in his local church, a former board member of Missouri Right to Life and sits on the board of the Mission Gate Prison Ministry.



Powerful: Republican VP hopeful Paul Ryan (left) with Rep. Akin at a budget meeting







