Another Republican/Tea Party candidate for the U.S. Senate has stumbled over the issue of abortion and rape.
First it was Todd Akin, the GOP's Senate nominee in Missouri, who declared last week that women's bodies can prevent pregnancies in "a legitimate rape."
Enter Tom Smith, the Republican candidate who is challenging Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in Pennsylvania.
After speaking today at the Pennsylvania press club luncheon, a group of reporters asked Smith about his abortion stance in light of the Akin controversy.
After Smith re-iterated his ""pro-life, period" (no exceptions for rape and incest) stance on abortion, he described a daughter's out-of-wedlock pregnancy:
Mark Scolforo, Associated Press: How would you tell a daughter or a granddaughter who, God forbid, would be the victim of a rape, to keep the child against her own will? Do you have a way to explain that?Smith: I lived something similar to that with my own family. She chose life, and I commend her for that. She knew my views. But, fortunately for me, I didn’t have to.. she chose they way I thought. No don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t rape.Scolforo: Similar how?Smith: Uh, having a baby out of wedlock.Scolforo: That’s similar to rape?Smith: No, no, no, but… put yourself in a father’s situation, yes. It is similar.
When asked to clarify, Smith denied that he had compared pregnancy from rape with having a baby out-of-wedlock.
Either way, it may not matter much as the Akin controversy. After all, an Akin victory was seen as a critical element for Republicans to capture control of the U.S. Senate.
Smith, on the other hand, is 14.5-points behind Casey (who is pro-life with exceptions for rape, for incest, and for the life of the mother) according to an average of polls by RealClearPolitics.