GOP Rep. Phil Gingrey’s Comments On Rape Echo, Outdo Todd Akin’s, Gingrey, Co-Chair of House GOP Doctors Caucus, Says Akin Is “Partly Right”

Washington, D.C. – This week during an interview, Representative Phil Gingrey (GA-11), defended Todd Akin’s infamous “legitimate rape” comment, stating, “…and what he meant by legitimate rape was just look, someone can say I was raped: a scared-to-death 15-year-old that becomes impregnated by her boyfriend and then has to tell her parents, that’s pretty tough and might on some occasion say, ‘Hey, I was raped.’ That’s what he meant when he said legitimate rape versus non-legitimate rape. I don’t find anything so horrible about that. But then he went on and said that in a situation of rape, of a legitimate rape, a woman’s body has a way of shutting down so the pregnancy would not occur. He’s partly right on that.”

For Gingrey’s full remarks, including his advice to infertile couples, visit: http://www.mdjonline.com/printer_friendly/21376912

“Just when I think Republicans can’t possibly be any more wrong when it comes to women, they find a new low. In one fell swoop, Republican Congressman Phil Gingrey said women regularly lie about being raped, that they’re able to prevent a pregnancy simply by ‘being tense and uptight,’ and that Todd Akin had a point,” said Stephanie Schriock, President of EMILY’s List. “Last November’s election was about as clear as possible – women are sick of this insulting, backwards, frankly ridiculous discussion of their bodies and rights. It shouldn’t be surprising that Republicans did not listen to them.

“We elected a record number of pro-choice Democratic women to Congress this year, but clearly there’s more work to be done,” Schriock continued. “EMILY’s List is over 2 million members strong, and we’re ready to support another group of women with the right priorities. We’ve already begun recruiting and training candidates. The fight isn’t over, and our work isn’t done.”

During the 2011- 2012 election cycle, EMILY’s List helped elect a historic number of candidates –the only pro-choice Democratic woman governor in the country, 19 new women to the House, six Senate incumbents, and three new Senators – all the first women to represent their states in the Senate. And this cycle, women we’ve helped elect include the first Hindu and first female combat veterans to serve in the House, the first openly gay Senator, and the first Asian American woman to serve in the Senate. With a community that has quintupled since 2010 – now more than two million members strong – EMILY's List is one of the largest political action committees in the nation. Since its founding in 1985, EMILY's List has worked to elect 100 pro-choice Democratic women to the House, 19 to the Senate, 10 governors, and over five hundred women to state and local office. In the 2011-2012 cycle, EMILY's List had the largest number of members and donors in our 28 year history, and raised a record-breaking $52 million dollars.