In all the talk about Todd Akin’s idiotic claim that the female body has some mechanism to prevent pregnancy when they’re raped, the most influential source of that claim has been identified as Dr. Jack Willke, perhaps the most important anti-choice figure you’ve likely never heard of. Bryan Fischer, in defended Akin’s statement, linked to this article by Willke from 1999.
Every woman is aware that stress and emotional factors can alter her menstrual cycle. To get and stay pregnant a woman’s body must produce a very sophisticated mix of hormones. Hormone production is controlled by a part of the brain that is easily influenced by emotions. There’s no greater emotional trauma that can be experienced by a woman than an assault rape. This can radically upset her possibility of ovulation, fertilization, implantation and even nurturing of a pregnancy.
So who is Willke? For one thing, he was one of Mitt Romney’s key endorsers and surrogates during the 2008 presidential campaign. Romney used that endorsement to endear himself to the anti-choice religious right voters who did not trust him on the matter of abortion because he had long declared himself to be pro-choice. During that campaign, Romney said of Willke, “I am proud to have the support of a man who has meant so much to the pro-life movement in our country.” And yet now, he is appalled — at least publicly — at Akin’s comments and wants him to step down. And then he wonders why people think he’s a political weathervane.