The outcry remains great against Richard Mourdock and Mitt Romney after the presidential candidate refused to take back his endorsement of the Senate candidate who made some startling comments about rape and abortion.
Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards expressed her discontent to The Last Word’s Lawrence O’Donnell about the future of women’s rights if this pattern continues in the Republican Party.
“Seeing what he [Mourdock] said in this debate, shows that Todd Akin is not an anomaly or an outlier but in fact this is really the mainstream now of the Republican Party running this election,” she said. “And the fact that Mitt Romney can’t do anything or is unwilling to do anything to distance himself or reject this candidacy speaks volumes.”
The Planned Parenthood Action Fund also released a statement reprimanding Romney, Mourdock and the GOP.
“Mitt Romney and Richard Mourdock share an allegiance to the Republican Party platform, which would ban safe and legal abortion without any exceptions, give full constitutional rights to fertilized eggs and repeal the birth control benefit. Richard Mourdock is the only Senate candidate in the country with a TV ad starring Mitt Romney. It’s not enough for the Romney campaign to issue a tepid statement “disagreeing” with Richard Mourdock’s appalling remarks. Mitt Romney must immediately rescind his endorsement of Mourdock and demand that Mourdock take down the campaign ads featuring him.”
Not all Republicans are standing by Mourdock. Sen. John McCain even called for him to apologize.
Actress and activist Martha Plimpton, who also appeared on Last Word, said an apology isn’t enough.
“While apologies are appreciated, the fact is rape is a crime,” Plimpton said. “For him to suggest that God’s intention has anything to do with rape or its consequences is not only offensive, it’s actually quite dangerous.”
The duo also spoke to O’Donnell about the dangers of a Republican-led Congress after this election cycle ends and how it would have a negative impact on women’s rights. “If they can control the Senate and control the White House, we’re going to lose gains we’ve made over the last 40 years,” Richards said. The Planned Parenthood president also talked about a group of New Hampshire Republican women she met with who are “outraged this is where the Republican Party is headed.” Plimpton agreed with Richards’ assessment of the GOP’s extreme views regarding women’s rights. These outspoken GOP congressman “are perfectly within their rights to have a conversation with their God about what they think about these issues, what they do not have the right to do is impose the conclusion of that conversation they’ve had on to other free Americans,” she said.
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