'There is no such exception as life of the mother,' Walsh said. Walsh: Abortion never saves mother

Abortion bans don’t need exceptions for the life of the mother because of “modern technology and science,” Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) said Thursday.

“With modern technology and science, you can’t find one instance” of an abortion necessary to save the life of the mother, Walsh said after a debate with Tammy Duckworth, his Democratic opponent, according to the Chicago Tribune. “… There is no such exception as life of the mother, and as far as health of the mother, same thing.”


Walsh’s comments bring to mind Missouri GOP Rep. Todd Akin’s assertion that rape exceptions aren’t necessary in abortion bans because the female body can’t get pregnant in cases of “legitimate rape.” Akin’s comments have severely damaged his effort to unseat Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.

In February 2011, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) spoke on the House floor about an abortion she had because the pregnancy was threatening her life.

Walsh, whose cable news appearances and tea party rhetoric have frequently drawn headlines, was trailing Duckworth 52 percent to 38 percent in September, according to the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling. A We Ask America poll conducted earlier this week found a tiny lead for Walsh, 47 percent to 46 percent.

Walsh and Duckworth are running in the 8th Congressional District, which covers portions of Chicago’s northern suburbs.