During a political campaign in which women’s reproductive rights were constantly under fire, Senate candidate Todd Akin, a Republican from Missouri, offered up a shocking take on rape. Speaking on the political talk show The Jaco Report in August, Akin, commenting on abortion in cases of rape, said, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try and shut that whole thing down.”
It wasn’t until after the show aired on the local St. Louis Fox affiliate that his remarks made waves. Host Charles Jaco said he wished he had called Akin out during the taping. Akin later claimed that he “misspoke” during the interview and issued a statement explaining that he has “deep empathy” for rape victims. But it was too late. His comment scored wide-ranging denouncements from top Republicans, some of whom suggested the six-term Congressman consider ending his campaign, which he refused to do. But his bid for a Senate seat was indeed “shut down” by incumbent Claire McCaskill in the November election.