Where does Martha McSally stand on the Todd Akin abortion plank in the GOP platform?

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

CD 2 Republican congressional candidate Martha McSally has gotten kid-gloves treatment and a free pass from the local media villagers during this primary, running a below the radar campaign. She is an unknown quantity as a result. That is about to change after Tuesday's primary election.

The media villagers can start with a direct question about the hot-button issue of the week for Tea-Publicans going into their convention: "Where do you stand on the "legitimate rape" comments of Rep. Todd Akin running for the Senate in Missouri, and where do you stand on the "no exceptions" anti-abortion plank in the GOP platform?"

The media villagers should also ask her direct questions whether she will support Reps. Todd Akin and Paul Ryan's bill to redefine rape as "forced rape," an end-run around statutory rape laws and instances of emotional abuse and intimidation to limit access to abortions. And whether she will support Reps. Todd Akin and Paul Ryan's bill defining life as beginning at conception — thus reducing an adult woman to second class citizen status to her fertilized egg. 

Does McSally's views on "small government" mean a government small enough to declare her uterus property of the state and to dictate her access to contraception and abortion, and general reproductive health? The kid-gloves come off now.

Now, I know that the leader of the Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh, has told Tea-Publicans not to answer these questions, but you media villagers need to demand an answer and keep pressing. Don't accept the crap that Jesse Kelly pulled during his now infamous K-GUN 9 interview about support from an anti-immigration organization.

The Arizona Democratic Party issued this press release this week:

McSally Took Thousands of Dollars from Cosponsors of Legislation Redefining Rape

Tea Party Congressional candidate Martha McSally still silent on Rep. Todd Akin's comments about

"legitimate rape"

Phoenix, AZ—GOP Tea Party candidate Martha McSally accepted $23,000 in campaign donations from right-wing House Republicans who were cosponsors of legislation that would have redefined a ban on federal funding for abortions. This bill would have only exempted "forcible rape," making it more difficult for victims of rape and incest to get access to women’s health care services.

“Support of the McSally campaign by right-wing, anti-choice social conservatives in the House comes as no surprise,” said Arizona Democratic Party Communications Director, Frank Camacho. “On numerous occasions, McSally has said she supports prohibiting all abortion except in cases where the mother’s life is at risk. That robs women of the choice to make their own health care decisions.”

Many Republicans are trying to distance themselves from Rep. Todd Akin’s recent extreme and reprehensible statements about “legitimate rape.” McSally has chosen not to repudiate the congressman, which is not unexpected considering Rep. Akin was also a cosponsor of legislation redefining rape as “forcible rape.”

McSally’s continued silence on the issue comes as the Republican platform committee at the Republican National Convention passed a plank saying it opposes abortion in instances of a pregnancy resulting from rape.

BACKGROUND:

In January 2011, Republican Chris Smith of New Jersey introduced legislation that included a redefinition of a ban on federal funding for abortions to exempt only "forcible rape" and not "rape" generally. After the bill was introduced, The Washington Post reported that the legislation could be used to diminish sexual assaults that had traditionally been recognized as rape, such as statutory rape, and attacks that occur because of drugs or verbal threats. The Washington Post also reported that the bill’s critics believed “the modifier could distinguish it from other kinds of sexual assault that are typically recognized as rape, including statutory rape and attacks that occur because of drugs or verbal threats.” [The Washington Post, 2/1/2011]

In March 2012, Martha McSally said that abortion is not an issue she would need to be concerned with as a member of Congress. She told the Tucson Weekly that members of Congress were “not really involved in this issue right now.”[Tucson Weekly, 3/22/2012]

In March 2012, Martha McSally told the Center for Arizona Policy survey that she supported “prohibiting abortions except where it is necessary to prevent the death of the mother.”[Center for Arizona Policy, 3/25/2012 & 6/26/2012]

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