The Roundup: Abortion Edition

Todd Akin is taking the GOP down with him.

Yes, Plenty of Republicans Want to Ban All Abortions, Full Stop
The Todd Akin incident reminds us that this election could easily decide the future of a woman's right to choose. Multiple states have attempted to pass bills that could effectively ban all abortions if Roe v Wade was overturned (thanks to a conservative appointee from a Romney administration and the inevitable GOP controlled senate).

PolitiFact: Women's group says Paul Ryan would "outlaw in vitro fertilization”

"UltraViolet has a point that the bill Ryan backed could significantly alter the way in vitro fertilization is practiced. However, the group exaggerates when it says the bill in question would "outlaw in vitro fertilization." The bill doesn ’t outlaw the procedure directly -- whatever impact it has would likely require action by states, which many states may be unwilling to undertake. And while the bill likely outlaws specific practices that have historically been considered important for practicing in vitro fertilization, it would not ban the procedure itself."

FactCheck: Another Abortion Falsehood from Obama’s ‘Truth Team’
Some clarification on the 2012 GOP platform on abortion:

"It’s true that Romney has voiced support for the 2008 platform’s call for an unspecified “Human Life Amendment” to the Constitution, and the language approved by the party’s platfor m committee for 2012 is identical. But that’s a far cry from advocating an abortion ban that would apply in cases of rape or incest."

And it turns out that we have been to careless over speculation that these Human Life Amendments will ban abortions in the cases of rape and incest:

"As we’ve said before, there have been numerous versions of human life amendments proposed over the years, some of which include exceptions for rape and incest and some of which don’t. For details, see our July 31 item, “Falsifying Romney’s Abortion Stance, Again.” Most of these amendments didn’t get out of committee."

However, the speculation is not entirely unfounded:

"Furthermore, Romney’s chosen running mate, Paul Ryan, opposes exceptions for rape or incest. And it would be accurate to say that the GOP platform calls for a constitutional amendment that would leave states free to adopt abortion bans without exceptions."

So Red States would be screwed still....

However, as Suzy Khimm of The Washington Post finds, it may also be the case that none of this matters.

"But do party platforms even matter? Much of the political science research suggests not — at least when it comes to the candidates’ own views and actions. “The nominee is not necessarily constrained by the formal platform. They can agree with whatever bits and pieces and ignore the rest,” says John Sides, a political science professor at George Washington University."

Imagine You Were Raped. Got Pregnant. Then Your Rapist Sought Custody.

"The debate over Rep. Todd Akin's widely condemned comments on "legitimate rape" has largely centered on abortion and Republican efforts to outlaw the procedure, even in cases of rape. But the controversy has also uncovered a little-discuss ed issue: When some rape victims do choose to give birth to a child conceived through sexual assault, they find that the legal door is left wide open for their victimization to continue. It sounds unfathomable, but in many states the law makes it possible for rapists to assert their parental rights and use custody proceedings as a weapon against their victims."

The Doctor behind Akin's offensive unscientific statements

Update 8/27/12:

The Weekly Standard Defends Ryan on Redefining Rape

"More broadly, the "they only intended to exclude statutory rape" defense misses the point. Most serious abortion foes oppose the rape exception—full stop. It's no surprise that the abortion rights opponents who wrote H.R. 3 didn't foresee that simply narrowing the rape exception—a move far short of their preferred position—might provoke more controversy than opposing the rape exception itself."

...

"While I was reporting out the forcible rape story last year, one of the sources I called, a very accomplished woman, told me she had been a victim of statutory rape as a young teenager. Decades later, she nearly broke down about it on the phone while talking to a stranger. Should she have been denied the option of a Medicaid-funded abortion because her rape wasn't rapey enough?" (emphasis mine)