Talking Point Memo jumped on an interview that Congressman Steve King (R-IA) did with local CBS affiliate KMEG-TV. They entitled it “Rep. Steve King: I’ve Never Heard of a Getting Pregnant from Statutory Rape or Incest.”
What he said was, “Well I just haven’t heard of that being a circumstance that’s been brought to me in any personal way. I would be open to discussion on that subject matter.” I took this to mean that “I don’t know anybody personally that this has happened to.” That is a completely different tone than what the headline of the TPM story suggests. Nor is this an agreement to what Todd Akin said about rape victims being less likely to become pregnant.
A local liberal blogger acquaintance of mine, Greg Hauenstein, tweeted this story out earlier today. After I responded he said this.
@shanevanderhart Yeah, I deleted the tweet. It’s too much of a stretch for me after seeing the video.— Gregory Hauenstein (@greghauenstein) August 21, 2012
You can watch the video here. Here is the transcript of what he said in context:
REPORTER: You support the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act that would provide federal funding for abortions to a person that has been forcefully raped. But what if someone isn’t forcibly raped and for example, a 12-year-old who gets pregnant? Should she have to bring this baby to term?
KING: Well I just haven’t heard of that being a circumstance that’s been brought to me in any personal way and I’d be open to hearing discussion about that subject matter. Generally speaking it’s this: that there millions of abortions in this country every year. Millions of them are paid for at least in part by taxpayers. I think it’s immoral for us to compel conscientious objecting taxpayers to fund abortion through the federal government, or any other government for that matter. So that’s my stand. And if there are exceptions there, then bring me those exceptions let’s talk about it. In the meantime it’s wrong for us to compel pro-life people to pay taxes to fund abortion.
Anyway this is the left trying to make something out of nothing.