Missouri Congressman Todd Akin says he was wrong in claiming that women's bodies are able to prevent pregnancies in "a legitimate rape" situation and that conception is rare in such cases.
The Missouri Republican Senate candidate went on Mike Huckabee's national radio show Monday to apologize for comments that aired Sunday on KTVI-TV in St. Louis. Akin's comments to KTVI's Charles Jaco created a furor that has included calls from some Senate Republicans for him to get out of the race.
Akin says he made a serious error but did not elaborate about how he made the mistake. He vowed to continue his campaign despite calls within his own party for him to step down, saying he's not the first politician to suffer from what he called "foot-in-mouth disease."
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama says a GOP Senate candidate's comments on rape are "offensive."
Obama said at a news conference Monday that comments by Missouri Congressman Todd Akin do not make sense.
Obama said, "Rape is rape" and said the idea of distinguishing among types of rape "doesn't make sense to the American people and certainly doesn't make sense to me."
Obama said the comments underscore why politicians -- a majority of whom are men-- should not make decisions on behalf of women. Akin said in an interview Sunday that women's bodies can prevent pregnancies in "a legitimate rape" and that conception is rare in such cases. (AP)
