New Delhi: It's a resounding 'no' to Todd Akin, Richard Mourdock, Roger Rivard, Joe Walsh, Tom Smith, John Koster and Paul Ryan. All pro-life, Republican candidates who have made controversial and often off-the-cuff remarks about rape at one point or other during their election campaign have suffered heavy losses in their Senate bid.
Akin, who lost to incumbent Claire McCaskill in Missouri, was in trouble with his own party after he said: "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down," in response to a media query on his stance on abortion.
Mourdock, a Tea Party favourite, lost to Joe Donnelly in Indiana. He had said that pregnancy resulting from rape is "something that God intended to happen." "I believe that life begins at conception. The only exception I have to have an abortion is in that case of the life of the mother. I just struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize life is that gift from God - that I think even if life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen," he said in a televised debate that drew flak from all quarters.
Republican Roger Rivard of Wisconsin was in hot soup with his comment about how "some girls rape easy". He lost to Democrat Stephen Smith.
Republican Joe Walsh was defeated by Tammy Duckworth in Illinois' 8th congressional district.
Walsh was asked whether a woman should be allowed to have an abortion if her life was at risk and he answered: "There is no such exception. With modern technology and science, you can’t find one instance. Outside of the very rare circumstances such as ectopic pregnancies, and other rare health issues, the research is pretty clear that with the advances in modern medicine, an invasive and traumatic procedure like an abortion is not necessary to save the life of a mother."
In Pennsylvania Republican Tom Smith lost to Democrat Bob Casey. Smith had said that having a baby out of wedlock was similar to rape.
Democrat Suzan DelBene defeated John Koster in Washington state. This is what he said when asked his opinion on abortion: "But on the rape thing, it's like, how does putting more violence onto a woman's body and taking the life of an innocent child that's a consequence of this crime, how does that make it better?"
Republican Paul Ryan, who antagonised women's rights groups when he referred to rape as a "method of conception," lost his bid to be the next US vice president.
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