John Koster 'Rape Thing' Comments Ignite Controversy
A congressional candidate is at the center of a growing controversy after he made comments regarding his position on abortion while addressing the issue as the "rape thing."
John Koster, a Republican congressional candidate in Washington State's 1st District, told people at a campaign event that rape is not a sufficient reason to support a women's choice to get an abortion and that all life is precious and should be protected, as reported by AP.
During the campaign fundraiser Koster was approached by an individual and asked whether he supports any time when he feels it is permissible for a women to get an abortion. To which, Koster replied, he feels the only time he supports terminating the pregnancy would be to save the life of the mother.
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"Incest is so rare, I mean, it's so rare … but the rape thing -- you know, I know a woman who was raped and kept the child, gave it up for adoption, and she doesn't regret it."
He added: "On the rape thing, it's like, how does putting more violence onto a woman's body and taking the life of an innocent child that's a consequence of this crime -- how does that make it better? You know what I mean?"
Koster's democratic opponent, Suzan DelBene who is pro-choice, denounced his remarks as insensitive and criticized Koster for not understanding the severity of rape.
"Dismissing it as a 'thing' is an awfully casual way for him to talk about it, and I think it highlights how little he understands the ramifications and the seriousness of the issue. So that's very problematic," Viet Shelton, DelBene's spokesperson, told TPM.
"And the way he approaches the issue and the policy conclusions he comes to, it just highlights the serious problem we have when politicians are trying to dictate women's health care decisions."
Kosters unfortunate phrasing regarding his position on abortion is just the most recent in a series of GOP moments that have drawn the ire of leftist and pro-abortion supporters during this political season.
