Artwork by DONKEYHOTEY
HUFFINGTON POST: Last week, Paul Ryan gave an interview in which, defending his position that there should be no excuses for abortion, he referred to rape as a “method of conception.” Wow, right? Talk about a benign euphemism. Rape — RAPE! — is now a “method of conception.” You know, like love-making, just without the love. There could be no greater testament to the utter abdication of responsibility by what passes for a “news” media in America in 2012 than that, despite the grotesquerie of this cavalierly callous comment, chances are better than good that this is the first you’re hearing of it. Here, watch it — and try to figure out why this has gotten NO MAINSTREAM MEDIA play (not even here at the Huffington Post) despite it being, to my mind, a far more offensive remark than Todd Akin’s imbecilic blurt of last weekend. What, are we tired of stupid remarks about rape now, so Ryan gets a free pass? MORE
RELATED: GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan said Monday he supported removing the term “forcible rape” from his bill banning taxpayer funding for abortions, claiming it was included only as “stock language” and not to limit the definition of rape. “Rape is rape, period,” Ryan, a Wisconsin congressman, said in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier. “This is language that was stock language used for lots of different bills, bills I didn’t author, and that language was removed to be very clear and I agree with that. Removing that language so we are very clear. Rape is rape, period, end of story.” Ryan authored the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” with Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) that referred to “forcible rape” and incest rather than rape in general. MORE
RELATED: Tom Smith [pictured, below right], the nominee running against Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, made the comment after being asked how he would argue to keep the baby if a daughter or granddaughter were to become pregnant as a result of rape. Smith said that his daughter went through “something similar” to the decision some rape victims have to make, although she was not raped, and that she chose to keep the child. His position on abortion is to ban it without exceptions for cases of rape or incest. “I lived something similar to that with my own family, and she chose the life, and I commend her for that,” Smith said. “She knew my views, but fortunately for me … she chose the way I 
thought.” Asked how that was similar to rape, Smith said: “Having a baby out of wedlock.” After another follow-up question, about whether the out-of-wedlock pregnancy was similar to a case of rape, he said: “No, no, no, but, well, put yourself in a father’s position. Yes, I mean, it is similar, this isn’t, but I’m back to the original, I’m pro-life – period.” MORE
NPR: Officials in Texas say they will cut off state funding to Planned Parenthood following a federal court ruling last week. The decision by a panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says the state can defund the health clinics because Planned Parenthood is associated with abortion. Planned Parenthood warned that the cuts threaten access to health care for more than 50,000 poor women. But many Texas officials cheered the decision, which could reverberate to other states targeting the organization. Texas Gov. Rick Perry and the Republican-led Legislature have been locked in an ongoing battle with Planned Parenthood over state funding for years. None of the Planned Parenthood clinics that perform abortions receives any state or federal taxpayer dollars. But Republicans also want to discontinue public funds to clinics that provide preventive health services to the poor. With the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision, that path is now clear. MORE
