'Legitimate Rape' Politician Urged To Bow Out

There has been growing clamour in the Republican Party for Todd Akin to pull out of elections after his controversial comments about rape.

Outraged conservatives, including Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, have lashed out at the US senate candidate from Missouri for claiming "the female body has ways" of preventing pregnancy in what he called "legitimate rape".

Speaking to conservative website National Review Online, Mr Romney said: "Congressman's Akin comments on rape are insulting, inexcusable and frankly wrong. Like millions of other Americans, we found them to be offensive."

Mr Akin has apologised and said he "misspoke" but has vowed to stay in this year's race.

Various Republican US senators have called on him to immediately bow out, seeing him as a liability in efforts to win control of the US Senate.

Mr Akin faces a Tuesday deadline to voluntarily remove himself from the ballot. After that such a move would require a court order.

US senator Scott Brown said: "As a husband and father of two young women, I found Todd Akin's comments about women and rape outrageous, inappropriate and wrong.

"Not only should he apologise, but I believe Representative Akin's statement was so far out of bounds that he should resign the nomination for US Senate in Missouri.

"If it was me I would do the right thing and step aside," Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus told the radio station KMOX.

The remarks have caused embarrassment for Mr Romney at the wrong time – in the run up to the party convention next week when he will officially become the Republican Party's nominee for the November 6 election.

Mr Akin had said: "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."

But Mr Romney dismissed this, saying: "I have an entirely different view. What he said is entirely without merit and he should correct it."