GOP Senate Candidate Says Pregnancy from Rape is "Something God Intended"

[retromike22]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/mourdock-god-work-rape-leads-pregnancy-17549526#.UIdNKlFU2So

Indiana Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock said Tuesday when a woman is impregnated during a rape, "it's something God intended."

Mourdock was asked during the final minutes of a debate whether abortion should be allowed in cases of rape or incest.

He replied: "I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that's something God intended to happen."

[Spanish Moss]

If someone's free will (the act of rape) is something God intended, then why is this same standard not applied to the free will choice of getting an abortion?

[Franzl]

Hahahahhahhahahajhahahahahaha!

[Mechaman]

What the f-ing f-erstan?

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Yes, folks, this man may be the next Senator from Indiana.

[Landslide Lyndon]

So I guess that means rapists can say in court that God made them do it?

Or perhaps that they were just doing God's will?

[John Dibble]

If someone's free will (the act of rape) is something God intended, then why is this same standard not applied to the free will choice of getting an abortion?

He's not saying the rape was God's will but that the resultant conception was. People are really taking this out of context. I will grant that this is probably worse optically than Akin's comments, but I still don't think what he said is wrong. Not good politics though.

It's still pretty bad even in that context - what does it say about God's character?

"Yeah, hi miss, God here. I know you've just gone through a traumatic experience and that a horrible person did something horrible to you, but I thought you'd like to know I've decided you need to have your rapist's baby. I know you'd probably like to just move on with your life, but I can't really allow that for some reason. Also, if you abort it you're a murderer. This is my will. Have a nice life."

[RI]

If someone's free will (the act of rape) is something God intended, then why is this same standard not applied to the free will choice of getting an abortion?

He's not saying the rape was God's will but that the resultant conception was. People are really taking this out of context. I will grant that this is probably worse optically than Akin's comments, but I still don't think what he said is wrong. Not good politics though.

It's still pretty bad even in that context - what does it say about God's character?

"Yeah, hi miss, God here. I know you've just gone through a traumatic experience and that a horrible person did something horrible to you, but I thought you'd like to know I've decided you need to have your rapist's baby. I know you'd probably like to just move on with your life, but I can't really allow that for some reason. Also, if you abort it you're a murderer. This is my will. Have a nice life."

That's a pretty cynical view on the nature of children...

[John Dibble]

If someone's free will (the act of rape) is something God intended, then why is this same standard not applied to the free will choice of getting an abortion?

He's not saying the rape was God's will but that the resultant conception was. People are really taking this out of context. I will grant that this is probably worse optically than Akin's comments, but I still don't think what he said is wrong. Not good politics though.

It's still pretty bad even in that context - what does it say about God's character?

"Yeah, hi miss, God here. I know you've just gone through a traumatic experience and that a horrible person did something horrible to you, but I thought you'd like to know I've decided you need to have your rapist's baby. I know you'd probably like to just move on with your life, but I can't really allow that for some reason. Also, if you abort it you're a murderer. This is my will. Have a nice life."

That's a pretty cynical view on the nature of children...

How so? I don't believe I said anything bad about children. Many women want to have them - they just prefer to have them with someone they have had sex with consensually. Even most pro-lifers recognize the rape exception for a reason.

[DC Al Fine]

If someone's free will (the act of rape) is something God intended, then why is this same standard not applied to the free will choice of getting an abortion?

He's not saying the rape was God's will but that the resultant conception was. People are really taking this out of context. I will grant that this is probably worse optically than Akin's comments, but I still don't think what he said is wrong. Not good politics though.

It's still pretty bad even in that context - what does it say about God's character?

"Yeah, hi miss, God here. I know you've just gone through a traumatic experience and that a horrible person did something horrible to you, but I thought you'd like to know I've decided you need to have your rapist's baby. I know you'd probably like to just move on with your life, but I can't really allow that for some reason. Also, if you abort it you're a murderer. This is my will. Have a nice life."

That's a pretty cynical view on the nature of children...

How so? I don't believe I said anything bad about children. Many women want to have them - they just prefer to have them with someone they have had sex with consensually. Even most pro-lifers recognize the rape exception for a reason.

Exception my fanny. If it is not a human being, go nuts. If it is a separate human being, then the circumstances in which it was conceived are irrelevant and the child has every right to life that you or I do.

[All Along The Watchtower]

If someone's free will (the act of rape) is something God intended, then why is this same standard not applied to the free will choice of getting an abortion?

He's not saying the rape was God's will but that the resultant conception was. People are really taking this out of context. I will grant that this is probably worse optically than Akin's comments, but I still don't think what he said is wrong. Not good politics though.

So conception is always /i] God's will?

[TJ in Oregon]

If someone's free will (the act of rape) is something God intended, then why is this same standard not applied to the free will choice of getting an abortion?

He's not saying the rape was God's will but that the resultant conception was. People are really taking this out of context. I will grant that this is probably worse optically than Akin's comments, but I still don't think what he said is wrong. Not good politics though.

So conception is always God's will?

That seems less problematic than the opposite conclusion. If a conception is against God's will, it would be kind of bad for the child. You could have people existing against God's will. What would it be like to be that person?

As a theological sidebar... I'm not sure about Mourdock's beliefs on the subject, but in Catholicism, we believe that God has a particular will that no one commits sin, but man in his fallen state does not live up to this but is instead granted free will. God has a certain amount He allows to happen despite involving the occurrence of sin; ie. allowable will. From this we can have good arise come from sin, such as a person from something as terrible as rape.


As for the rape exception, I don't really support it because it doesn't make much sense to say that it's okay to kill a person but only if there's rape involved, but at the same time, adding rape exceptions to abortion laws could help get a lot more things passed that can do a lot of good, so I'd gladly take it over the current status. I do think the media focusing on the rape scenario is something of a distraction since the overwhelming majority of US abortions do not occur after a rape. I had a friend once who identified as "pro-choice" and supported outlawing abortion in all cases except rape and when the mothers' life was in danger. Not that anecdotes like that mean a ton, but I do think it says something about how the issues is portrayed, although it is a common argument technique to focus on the most politically untenable part of an opponents' position.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

If someone's free will (the act of rape) is something God intended, then why is this same standard not applied to the free will choice of getting an abortion?

He's not saying the rape was God's will but that the resultant conception was. People are really taking this out of context. I will grant that this is probably worse optically than Akin's comments, but I still don't think what he said is wrong. Not good politics though.

It's still pretty bad even in that context - what does it say about God's character?

"Yeah, hi miss, God here. I know you've just gone through a traumatic experience and that a horrible person did something horrible to you, but I thought you'd like to know I've decided you need to have your rapist's baby. I know you'd probably like to just move on with your life, but I can't really allow that for some reason. Also, if you abort it you're a murderer. This is my will. Have a nice life."

That's a pretty cynical view on the nature of children...

How so? I don't believe I said anything bad about children. Many women want to have them - they just prefer to have them with someone they have had sex with consensually. Even most pro-lifers recognize the rape exception for a reason.

Yes, and those reasons are usually some combination of hypocrisy and political expedience.  The sole moral reason for banning abortions (either completely or after some developmental milestone whose passage can be objectively determined such as the fetal heartbeat) is that you believe that in doing you are preserving human life.  That life is no less of a life because of any despicable actions such as rape or incest that the biological father may have committed to cause it to be.  Where Mourdock messed up was in expressing himself in a manner that suggests God condones or even approves of rape, not in expressing his belief that there should be no exceptions for rape when it comes to limitations to abortion.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

The quote has been taken way out of context by people attacking Mourdoch on this.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

If someone's free will (the act of rape) is something God intended, then why is this same standard not applied to the free will choice of getting an abortion?

He's not saying the rape was God's will but that the resultant conception was. People are really taking this out of context. I will grant that this is probably worse optically than Akin's comments, but I still don't think what he said is wrong. Not good politics though.

So conception is always God's will?

That seems less problematic than the opposite conclusion. If a conception is against God's will, it would be kind of bad for the child. You could have people existing against God's will. What would it be like to be that person?

Or, y'know, God has no opinion on conceptions.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

It's not that there's any particular theological problem with Mourdock's comment, unlike how there was a huge medical one with Akin's; it's that this is just, socially or politically, not what you say in that situation.

[memphis]

It's not that there's any particular theological problem with Mourdock's comment, unlike how there was a huge medical one with Akin's; it's that this is just, socially or politically, not what you say in that situation.

^^^^^^^^^
And just for the lulz, I would love for him to go for the full monty and pin 9/11 or the Holocaust or whatver on God also.

[Joe Republic]

I don't know about rape-induced pregnancies, but these types of comments from Republican politicians are most certainly a gift from God.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The quote has been taken way out of context by people attacking Mourdoch on this.

Fixed.  They are taking him out of context, but not way out of context.

[Badger]

The quote has been taken way out of context by people attacking Mourdoch on this.

How?