Coolidge calls on Roskam to denounce extremist statements by colleagues
Posted on October 29, 2012 by coolidge for congress
October 29, 2912, BARRINGTON – Congressional candidate Leslie Coolidge today called on her opponent Congressman Peter Roskam to denounce the extreme and offensive anti-woman statements made by two of his Republican House colleagues — Congressman Joe Walsh and Congressman Todd Akin — and Indiana’s Republican U.S. Senate nominee Richard Mourdock.
“Congressman Roskam serves in the Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives which has focused on rolling back the clock on women’s rights instead of job creation,” said Coolidge. “He favors banning abortions without exception for rape and incest, denying funding for women’s health check-ups and cancer screenings provided by Planned Parenthood, and allowing employers to deny their female employees contraception coverage in their healthcare plans. Voters deserve to know if he also agrees with Walsh, Akin and Mourdock on rape and the right of women to choose abortion in order to save their lives.”
“I think that even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.” – Indiana Republican U.S. Senate nominee Richard Mourdock
“First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare [pregnancy from rape]. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child.” – Missouri Republican Congressman and U.S. Senate nominee Todd Akin
“With modern technology and science, you can’t find one instance [of an abortion necessary to save the life of the mother]…There’s no such exception as life of the mother. And as far as health of the mother – same thing. Advances in science and technology. Health of the mother has been, has become a tool for abortions any time and for any reason.” – Illinois Republican Congressman Joe Walsh
“6th District voters deserve to know whether Congressman Roskam will denounce these statements by his Republican colleagues, or whether he agrees with them,” said Coolidge. “The medical and scientific facts are clear and indisputable: women do get pregnant from rape, and women do sometimes need abortions to save their lives.”
Congressman Peter Roskam co-sponsored a measure to redefine rape to exclude statutory rape and some kinds of date rape (HR3, 1/20/2011). In contrast, Coolidge is strongly pro-choice and will fight right-wing extremist attempts to redefine rape and limit access to contraception and other women’s health services.
