Video: Fluke: We need to focus on Akin?s record, not just his comments

>> last time the campaign centered around women's issues was during the republican primary when then law student sandra flug testified in favor of insurance coverage and sandra joins me with her reaction. as you well know, there are many people that doubt if there is a so-called war on women and they say it is a figure meant of the imagination comparing it to the search for unicorns or caterpilla caterpillars, i think that was the concern at the time and now you have the situation with akin. does he need to resign? does mitt romney need to state a stronger wording of opposition of what happened here?

>> i actually think we need to focus less on exactly what the statement was which is very problematic and look more at the record of representative akin and also at the records of representative ryan and former governor romney because this is not an isolated statement. we know that representative akin as well as ryan co-sponsored a bill that would have limited which cases of rape qualified for federal abortion funding and that they put forward and voted for bills that would eliminate the right to abortion in all cases. so this is not out of line with their entire record

>> you're referring of course to this controversy bill, hr-3, no taxpayer funding for abortion co-sponsored by the vice presidential candidate ryan in this and the original language , sandra , in that act used the term, quote, forcible rape . it was later changed to rape. the president touched on this, this notion that there are categories of rape, that rape is rape as he uttered the words just a short time ago. in this legislation co-sponsored by ryan at some point in time the language was forcible rape as if it needed to be qualified somehow.

>> that's right. it would not have included all cases of incest. it would have exclude the statutory rape , and we know that actually the majority of cases of rape are women who are drugged or threatened or coerced. it is a myth that it is a stranger jumping out of the bushes and attacking you. the idea that we have major republican leaders who believe that is the only, quote, legitimate type of rape is a big concern.

>> senator barbara boxer released a statement a short time ago in part it says congressman akin's comments about the violent crime of rape are beyond outrageous and another chapter in the war on women that is increasingly dangerous for women's health and lives. obviously i know you agree with the outrage. do you believe this will have a greater impact perhaps even in the general election ? right now we know that mitt romney is trailing president obama significantly with female voters but might this also widen the gap come november?

>> i think the last two years of the house of representatives should have ab enormous kwakt when every woman and every man in the country who cares about a woman walks into the voting booth . this is a house of representatives that has an unprecedented record in the types of assaults on women's access to health care all the way from breast cancer screening in terms of cutting funding for planned parenthood to our access to safe and legal abortion and i know that i will certainly remember that when i vote this fall and i hope a lot of other people do as well.

>> sandra , thank you so much for making time with this breaking news. i greatly appreciate

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/48727898/

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