Paul Ryan, Olympic Runner

It’s amusing — or it would be if it were not so outrageous — to see Paul Ryan running from his own record of supporting anti-abortion legislation that bans all abortions without exception for rape or incest, and that parses the definition of rape as narrowly as Todd Akins does, and has.

“His statements were outrageous, over the pale. I don’t know anybody who would agree with that. Rape is rape period, end of story,” Ryan told KDKA Political Editor Jon Delano.

Ryan, like Romney, distanced himself from Akin’s remarks, but in Congress, he joined Akin in opposing abortions even when a woman has been raped.

Delano: ”œShould abortions be available to women who are raped?”

Ryan: ”œWell, look, I’m proud of my pro-life record. And I stand by my pro-life record in Congress. It’s something I’m proud of. But Mitt Romney is the top of the ticket and Mitt Romney will be president and he will set the policy of the Romney administration.”

Despite Ryan’s views, Romney says he will allow exceptions for rape and incest. Ryan also seemed to back away from earlier views on types of rape.

Delano: ”œYou sponsored legislation that has the language ”˜forcible rape.’ What is forcible rape as opposed…”

Ryan: ”œRape is rape. Rape is rape, period. End of story.”

Delano: ”œSo that forcible rape language meant nothing to you at the time?”œ

Ryan: ”œRape is rape and there’s no splitting hairs over rape.”

As for the president’s claim that Romney-Ryan will restrict birth control, Ryan calls that ridiculous.

”œNobody is proposing to deny birth control to anybody,” says Ryan.

Ryan says women won’t fall for these side issues.

”œAnd I don’t think they’re going to take the bait of all these distractions that the President is trying to throw at them.”

Actually, women’s health is not a “side issue,” and women’s bodily autonomy and right to make our own health care decisions is not a “distraction.”

And Ryan is lying when he says no one is “proposing to deny birth control to anybody.” The “Sanctity of Human Life Act,” of which Ryan is a co-sponsor, would give personhood to a fertilized egg, and the highly specific language could easily include many forms of birth control, as well as in vitro fertilization:

(1) the Congress declares that–

(A) the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being, and is the paramount and most fundamental right of a person; and

(B) the life of each human being begins with fertilization, cloning, or its functional equivalent, irrespective of sex, health, function or disability, defect, stage of biological development, or condition of dependency, at which time every human being shall have all the legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood; and

(2) the Congress affirms that the Congress, each State, the District of Columbia, and all United States territories have the authority to protect the lives of all human beings residing in its respective jurisdictions.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

For purposes of this Act:

(1) FERTILIZATION- The term `fertilization’ means the process of a human spermatozoan penetrating the cell membrane of a human oocyte to create a human zygote, a one-celled human embryo, which is a new unique human being.

(2) CLONING- The term `cloning’ means the process called somatic cell nuclear transfer, that combines an enucleated egg and the nucleus of a somatic cell to make a human embryo.

(3) HUMAN; HUMAN BEING- The terms `human’ and `human being’ include each and every member of the species homo sapiens at all stages of life, beginning with the earliest stage of development, created by the process of fertilization, cloning, or its functional equivalent.

If you have any doubts about how deeply rooted contempt for women has become in today’s Republican Party, or if you need further proof of it, you need look no further than this endless article in today’s online edition of the conservative movement’s most prestigious publication, National Review. I could quote from it, but it’s too vomitous to look at a second time.