How Will Mourdock’s Rape Comments Affect Indiana’s U.S. Senate Race?

Republican Richard Mourdock, candidate for Indiana’s U.S. Senate seat, participates in a debate with Democrat Joe Donnelly and Libertarian Andrew Horning on Tuesday. (AP/Michael Conroy)

During Tuesday’s final debate between candidates for Indiana’s U.S. Senate seat, Republican Richard Mourdock said he does not believe in abortion in cases of rape.

“I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize life is that gift from God, And I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen,” he told the audience.

Later that night, the Romney campaign told the Associated Press in an e-mail that “Govenor Romney disagrees with Richard Mourdock’s comments and they do not reflect his views.”

But the Tea Party activists who helped Mourdock defeat longtime U.S. Senator Richard Lugar in the Republican primary election, appear to be standing by him.

Monica Boyer, a Tea Party activist who helped lead the effort to defeat Lugar, told the Indianapolis Star newspaper she is “unapologetically pro-life and support(s) his stand on life. I believe life begins at conception no matter how the baby is conceived.”

The Washington Post: Mourdock: Pregnancy from rape can be ‘something that God intended to happen’

Guest:

Aaron Blake, covers national politics for the Washington Post and writes regularly for the Post’s political blog The Fix. He tweets @FixAaron.

We welcome comments from all of our listeners. Post below. Please stay on topic and be civil. Comments may be moderated by us, but you are solely responsible for the content of your comments.

Emily

Does he also think that infertility is simply the will of their god? If products of rape are, then shouldn’t good Christian couples eschew fertility treatments? What about Viagra? Erectile dysfunction must be god’s will, too.
- J__o__h__n
  
  The Catholic Church opposes some fertility treatments.
Jp

How is it that if I am not strong enough to forceably resist the rapist, I would be required to be pregnant and raise his baby? All of this could completely comprimise the entire life – psycologically, financially and professionally (to say nothing of my possible physical health) - but that is “Gods will?”

Does Murdock endorse use of handguns? If someone attacked me with a gun am I allowed to protect myself with a gun, or is it Gods will that I be murdered?

What is Mr. Murdocks line between where a tragic event can be resisted and where it must be accepted as “God’s will”?
Phdnofuddy

Murdoch’s stance reveals a complete ignorance on the nature of God and the spiritual origin of rape, which is evil emanating from Satan, not God! God would never “want” anyone to experience rape, just as He does not “want” any human to experience disease. God does not “use” evil – He heals the consequences of evil. God’s true heart is most clearly and simply revealed in 3 John 1:2 “2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”
J__o__h__n

Does god intend this in all rapes or just legitimate ones?
J__o__h__n

“Richard will help stop the liberal Reid-Pelosi agenda,” Romney says in the video. “With so much at stake, I hope you’ll join me in supporting Richard Mourdock for U.S. Senate.”
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003000884786 Navin R Johnson

Well, I wasn’t going to bother voting this year, but this idiot Mourdock changed my mind…
Maggie

People will hear what they want to hear, this guy didn’t say that rape was the will of God-but that when a woman is raped (which is truly evil), and gets pregnant as a result – that life is given by God. Whether we like it or not; us humans are participants in creating life but, ultimately it is God the One that creates life, regardless of the situation or time. We need to stop listening with our emotions.
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003000884786 Navin R Johnson
  
  If God is omnipotent, as Mourdock clearly believes, then God permits evil to exist and rapes to occur. This subject is a very deep theological discussion, and Mourdock is clearly not a theologian.
  - Maggie
    
    We can’t have it both ways: we either have a choice (a gift from a loving God) and decide not to do evil and do good or we all submit without a choice, like mindless robbots to loving and serving God. But then for love to be love there must be a choice. Us humans have a choice not to do evil – like rape, murder, lies, taking advantage of each other, etc. and yet although we might not kill or rape anybody we do take advantage of each other, we steal, we lie, etc. Rape doesn’t happen as a cosmic event but by the decision of humans with a choice not to do evil. We also live in a society that pushes the ideology that “there are not absolutes” well maybe the rapist thinks that what he is doing is not wrong but just for some. Again, we can’t have it both ways.
    - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003000884786 Navin R Johnson
      
      I agree, Christian belief is fundamentally flawed. I am not a Christian. I think God is nothing but a fairy tale.
    - J__o__h__n
      
      There is no god.
- J__o__h__n
  
  People aren’t hearing it incorrectly. People are disgusted that he is using his own religious views as the reason to deny a rape victim a right to an abortion.