Post by Kaiti on Dec 14, 2012 16:43:36 GMT
POLITICO ‘Man v. Food’ host Adam Richman: Todd Akin ‘ill-informed’ on rape comments
Adam Richman (left) called Todd Akin 'so ill-informed that he’s creating fake biology.' | AP Photos
By PATRICK GAVIN | 12/13/12 11:14 AM EST
As the gruff host of an eating-challenge show, you wouldn’t expect to see Adam Richman rubbing elbows with Washington’s cocktail set.
But there he was Wednesday at a fundraiser for RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) alongside Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas).
Richman spoke with POLITICO before the event and talked about how frustrating it can be to hear how politicians discuss sexual abuse.
“The notion of calling anything ‘legitimate rape’ is ridiculous,” said Richman, referencing comments by Rep. Todd Akin over the summer. “It’s the second most violent crime, only to murder, and if at any point you’re talking about that which is legitimate or illegitimate, you immediately put the victim on trial and not the perpetrator. His notion that the female body has some mythical chemical to shut the whole thing down, I think it speaks to the lack of information and the lack of public concern.”
(5 controversial Akin quotes)
Since he was in D.C., Richman said he’d like to see lawmakers take a greater role in “eliminating the gray areas around what constitutes sexual assault.”
“The notion that, on any level, a woman will have to defend what she was wearing the night of the attack, for example, is appalling,” Richman said. He’d also like to see “greater institutional support across the board in terms of education and in terms of crisis centers.”
But it was Akin, again, that had really hit a nerve with Richman. He called Akin “so ill-informed that he’s creating fake biology.”
“In nearly 2013, that a legislator is so ill-informed about the human body, let alone humanity, enough to think that which is legitimate and illegitimate rape is incredibly problematic.”
Richman said he got involved with RAINN in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State by contributing money and, as a result, the organization reached out to get him to get involved further. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline and maintains programs to both prevent sexual violence and assist its victims.
Read more: www.politico.com/story/2012/12/man-v-food-host-adam-richman-todd-akin-ill-informed-on-rape-comments-85042.html#ixzz2F2rgfRFj
