No sooner had Missouri congressman Todd Akin revealed his curious theories on rape and reproduction than I started getting calls, texts, and e-mails from readers offering insights along the lines of: what a fucking dumbass!
On the larger matter of abortion, however, the Land of Lincoln has quite a few elected officials who see eye to eye with Akin.
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Several share his belief that abortion should be banned even in instances of rape and incest, according to a survey by Illinois Citizens for Life, an antiabortion group. That list includes three Chicago-area congressmen—Dan Lipinski, Peter Roskam, and Joe Walsh—and state rep Michael McAuliffe from the northwest side.
They never got that far because of opposition in the Democratic-controlled Senate. But look for the bill to be revived should the Republicans retain the House, seize the Senate, and send the Romney/Ryan ticket to the White House.
Women who opted not to have an ultrasound were required to fill out a form that would be filed with the state health department. As expected, Lyons’s proposal generated strong opposition from doctors, civil libertarians, and women—lots and lots of women.
But Lyons had to retreat because he didn’t have the votes to pass his ultrasound measure.
The law also requires that students be taught “it is unlawful for males to have sexual relations with females under the age of 18 to whom they are not married pursuant to Article 12 of the Criminal Code of 1961.”
