GOP Activist Says Pregnancies Rare In Rape Cases
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The leader of a conservative faction within the California Republican Party says pregnancies by rape are rare because a woman's body is traumatized by the violence, recalling remarks that derailed a U.S. Senate candidate's campaign last year.
Celeste Greig, president of the California Republican Assembly, made the remarks to the San Jose Mercury News ahead of this weekend's state GOP convention in Sacramento.
Greig was responding to a question about former Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin, who last year said women have the power to prevent pregnancy after what he termed "legitimate rape."
Greig said Akin's comment was insensitive. But she then went on to tell the newspaper that the "percentage of pregnancies due to rape is small because it's an act of violence, because the body is traumatized."
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
