STAINED LEGACY

Former GOP Congressman Who Derailed Career With ‘Legitimate Rape’ Comment Dies

Todd Akin believed that women rarely get pregnant if they suffer from “legitimate rape.”

Todd Akin, the ex-congressman who wrecked his career by sharing his wildly offensive and wrong opinion that women rarely get pregnant if they suffer from “legitimate rape,” has died at the age of 74. Akin represented a Republican-leaning Missouri district between 2001 and 2012 but gave up his seat to challenge then-Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill. His run was derailed when asked during an interview if he supported allowing abortions for rape victims. Akin responded that “from what I understand from doctors” such pregnancies are “really rare,” before he added: “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” He apologized for his comment following a national outcry, but later said that he regretted saying sorry. In a statement, Akin’s son, Perry, said his dad died at his home Sunday after suffering from cancer for several years, and added: “The family is thankful for his legacy: a man with a servant’s heart who stood for truth.”