'Some girls rape easy': Republican state representative sparks outrage after quoting his father's advice about women

Wisconsin state representative Roger Rivard made the comments in an interview last year when asked about an underage sex case involving a 17-year-old boy

Rivard had previously been endorsed by Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan - who today removed his backing calling the comments 'indefensible'



A Republican politician personally endorsed by vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is today at the centre of a storm after a controversial interview emerged in which he relayed his father's advice that 'some girls rape easy.'



Desperately trying to control the damage, Wisconsin state Rep. Roger Rivard , claimed that repeating his father's comments were meant as a warning that a woman could agree to sex but then later claim it wasn't consensual.

However, the backlash has been severe, with Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan announcing today he was withdrawing his support for the embattled representative who is running for re-election.

Republican state Rep. Roger Rivard said his comments relaying advice his father gave him that 'some girls rape easy' have been taken out of context

Rivard, 60, who is married with six adult children, including four daughters and nine grand-children was first quoted making his rape comments in a December story published by the Chetek Alert.



He was discussing the case of Dennis Veldman, a 17-year-old high school senior who was charged with sexual assault in Wisconsin for having sex with an underage girl in the school's band room.



But yesterday Rivard told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the original article did not provide the full context of his father's comments and that his exact words were different.

' He also told me one thing, 'If you do (have premarital sex), just remember, consensual sex can turn into rape in an awful hurry,' said Rivard to the Journal Sentinel.

Republican state Rep. Roger Rivard had enjoyed the backing of vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan until today

'Because all of a sudden a young lady gets pregnant and the parents are madder than a wet hen and she's not going to say, 'Oh, yeah, I was part of the program.'



'All that she has to say or the parents have to say is it was rape because she's underage. And he just said, 'Remember, Roger, if you go down that road, some girls,' he said, 'they rape so easy.'

However, today on the eve of his debate with Vice President Joe Biden, Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan withdrew his support for Rivard in the wake of his rape comments.



'State Representative Rivard's comments are outrageous and offensive,' Ryan's congressional campaign spokesman Kevin Siefert said in a statement.



'Congressman Ryan believes there is no place in our discourse for rhetoric such as this.



'Congressman Ryan cannot support Mr. Rivard or his indefensible comments.'



Rivard's Democratic opponent Stephen Smith called the comments offensive.

'I'm offended to think that my sister or my daughters would be thought of in that manner,' said Smith.

'I feel Roger is out of touch with the majority of voters and his views are extreme.'

Rivard claimed that he was trying to reference the fact that in Wisconsin the age of consent is 18 years old for couples who are not married.

It is illegal to have sex with someone under age 18 in Wisconsin, and that has caused controversy at times when two teenagers are involved in a sexual relationship.



Some in the state have argued for a so-called 'Romeo and Juliet' legislation that would reduce or eliminate penalties for minors close in age who have sex, but Rivard has never specifically endorsed such legislation.



Three hours after he gave what he assumed was a clarification of his rape comments, Rivard contacted the Journal Sentinel to try to smooth over what he said with a statement in which he called rape a horrible act of violence that unfortunately often goes unreported to police.



The Republican politician Roger Rivard has caused a storm reminiscent to the one created by Todd Akin who made condemned comments about legitimate rape and women's bodies in August

'Sexual assault is a crime that unfortunately is misunderstood and my comments have the potential to be misunderstood as well,' his statement said.



'Rape is a horrible act of violence. Sexual assault unfortunately often goes unreported to police.



'I have four daughters and three granddaughters and I understand the importance of making sure that awareness of this crime is taken very seriously.'

Rivards original comments were made 10-months ago in December but have resurfaced during the Republican's tight race in Wisconsin against Democrat Stephen Smith.



Smith claims that he did not know of the comments until August around the time that U.S. Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri caused a national outrage for claiming that women's bodies could prevent pregnancy in cases of 'legitimate rape.'

Akin, a nominee for Senate in Missouri, 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 '.

'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.'



Many were in disbelief that someone could present such an argument as the GOP senate hopeful attempted to explain his no-exception rule when it comes to abortion.



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.

At the time President Obama attacked Akin's comments and Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan both urged Akin to drop out of his race for the U.S. Senate, but so far he has ignored their calls.

Alone: Following aspiring Missouri Senator Todd Akin's repellent comments on rape, his fellow Republicans have turned on him

President Barack Obama called Mr Akin's statements on rape and abortion 'offensive' and 'way out there' on Monday, and said politicians should not be making healthcare decisions on behalf of women.

'Rape is rape and the idea that we should be parsing and qualifying and slicing what types of rape we are talking about doesn't make sense to the American people and certainly doesn't make sense to me,' said the president to reporters in the White House briefing room back in August



Romney said he has 'an entirely different view' than Mr Akin's, calling the candidate's comments 'offensive.' The GOP presidential candidate also called on Akin to correct his statements.

Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who had also endorsed Rivard, condemned the lawmaker's comments, as did Republican U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy. Duffy had not endorsed Rivard but had received a $500 campaign donation from him. Duffy said he would donate the $500 to the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse in Superior.

Opposition: President Barack Obama chimed in calling Akin's sentiment 'way out there' Distance: Republican Mitt Romney said Monday that Todd Akin's comments on rape are 'insulting, inexcusable, and, frankly, wrong'

Nichole Kathol, president of the Barron County Domestic Abuse Project, said Rivard's comments portray women as perpetrators of violence against them.

' He's blaming the victim and implying the definition of rape is all too encompassing,' she said.

Pennie Meyers, interim executive director of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said in a statement that Rivard's comments show people in Wisconsin need to be better educated about sexual violence.