Pregnancy

WASHINGTON - In declaring that women's bodies can somehow prevent pregnancy in the event of a rape, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) sparked a national conversation about a scientifically unsubstantiated theory, sending reporters scurrying in search of the data that would prove him right or wrong. Surprisingly few hard facts and figures were available about the prevalence of rape-related pregnancies. Many news outlets, including this one, cited a 1996 study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, which estimated that more than 32,000 women experience a rape-related pregnancy each year.

Rep. Todd Akin, the GOP's candidate for U.S. Senate in Missouri, caused a huge stir the other day with his comments about how women who are true rape victims rarely get pregnant. "If it's a legitimate rape," he said, "the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. " In a piece that was typical of the widespread outrage the remarks stirred, the Atlantic magazine called them the "contemporary equivalent of the early American belief that only witches float. " The writer was onto something important.

Showing no sign of backing down from his U.S. Senate candidacy, Rep. Todd Akin released a television ad in which he apologizes for his remarks about "legitimate rape" seldom causing pregnancy, and asks for forgiveness. It was unclear immediately how widely the 30-second spot would air in Missouri, where Akin had been leading in a race against Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. But the ad seemed further evidence that Akin does not intend to take advantage of a provision in Missouri law that would allow him to pull his name off the ballot if he acts by 5 p.m. Tuesday.

WASHINGTON -- Missouri Republican Todd Akin' s troubled Senate campaign blasted out a letter of support Tuesday from the antiabortion crusader who promoted the theory that victims of rape do not usually become pregnant. Akin's decision to release the letter from Dr. Jack Willke, founder of the International Right to Life Federation, sends a mixed message from the GOP congressman, who has apologized repeatedly for having said "legitimate rape" rarely leads to pregnancy. "The pro-life movement and I unequivocally stand with Rep. Akin.

The Republican nominee for a U.S. Senateseat in Missouri on Sunday advanced the theory that the female reproductive system can shut down during what he described as a "legitimate rape," thus preventing conception in most cases. Rep. Todd Akin, a tea party candidate who is challenging incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in Missouri's closely watched race, was asked in a local television interview about whether he supported access to abortion in the case of rape. "If abortion could be considered in the case of, say, a tubal pregnancy [which threatens the mother's life]

WASHINGTON -- It didn't take long for the Republican establishment to back away from Todd Akin, the Missouri congressman and Senate candidate who declared in an interview on Sunday that the female body can somehow prevent pregnancy after a “legitimate rape.” Akin himself eventually walked back the comment, saying that he had misspoken in “off-the-cuff remarks,” and that, “to be clear, all of us understand that rape can result in...

The conciliatory Facebook post by Rep. Todd Akin on Sunday afternoon wasn't exactly an apology, nor did it clarify his position on the relationship between rape and pregnancy. But he clearly needed to address the furor set off Sunday morning when the ardently antiabortion Republican, who is challenging Democrat Claire McCaskill for her U.S. Senate seat, told a St. Louis TV host that during “legitimate rape,” women's bodies somehow prevent conception from taking place.

If there is something everyone can agree on, it would seem that the idea that rape can result in unwanted pregnancy would be right up there at the top of the list. Not so in Missouri, where the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate on Sunday advanced the theory that the female reproductive system shuts down when a woman is being raped, thus preventing conception. Rep. Todd Akin, a tea party candidate who is challenging incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in the closely watched race, was asked in a local television interview about whether he supports access to abortion in the case of rape.

MAVELA, South Africa - Her grandmother was an alcoholic and her mother was a prostitute, strangled by a client. The child of another of her mother's customers, Nicolene Marx grew up in a poor Durban neighborhood with scant hope of escaping. Then two years ago, the letter came. She had been granted a scholarship to study law at a university in Durban. She had the chance few poor South Africans get - to flip her destiny. But her education ended after "one stupid night" that left her pregnant at 18. She gave birth the week of her exams last year, failed, dropped out and her scholarship was taken away.

If this were a more enlightened world I wouldn't even be writing this. Because the news of a pregnant woman becoming a CEO wouldn't be news. At least the "pregnant" and "woman" part wouldn't be. But this is the United States in 2012 and Marissa Mayer's ascent to become the chief executive of Yahoo Inc. is still a novelty on a couple of counts. PHOTOS: Female tech executives of Silicon Valley First, of course, she's a girl in a guys' world. If Google mapped nerd testosterone zones, Silicon Valley would be the virtual Himalayas.