Todd Akin, Abortion and the Presidential Campaign

Missouri Republican Congressman Todd Akin now says he knows that rape can make a woman pregnant. Although he's backed away from saying the rape must be "legitimate," he also say he does "not apologize for being consistently pro-life." But he's defied party leaders, including Mitt Romney, by insisting on staying in the race for the US Senate. That decision guarantees continued attention to facts Republicans don't want to talk about. Paul Ryan's voting record on women's issues is much like Akin's. The platform for next week's convention calls for banning abortions, even in cases of rape. Mitt Romney's now keeping his distance from that language. Democrats won't let voters forget, but will it really matter when Republicans and Independents go to the polls?