Arts & Entertainment

Todd Akin's "Legitimate Rape" Concept Makes New TV Coverage

A popular, hard-hitting TV series, Law & Order: SVU, revisits infamous, controversial words of Wildwood-based former Rep. Todd Akin and uses them into an episode. Some media sources and viewers think NBC should not have exploited it. Your reaction

Creators of “Law & Order: SVU” like to create plots based on the news of the day, and an episode that aired Wednesday night got its cue from former Rep. Todd Akin, R-Wildwood. The show was about how a high-profile rape victim must face off against her attacker in court.

The episode entitled, “Legitimate Rape,” is a reference to Akin’s controversial remarks last year that women who endured “legitimate rape” rarely get pregnant, stated a Politico article on Tuesday.

In the episode's promo, which accompanies this article, NBC bills it as “ripped from the headlines” and “words that set off a national controversy.”

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As Politico points out, a man in a suit and tie with a flag lapel pin appears as a court witness saying, “It’s nearly impossible for a victim of legitimate rape to become pregnant.”

The character used Akin’s infamous remark that “if it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down” so the woman would not get pregnant.

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Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who ran against Akin in 2012, tweeted in reaction: “Now this is surreal.”

Created by Emmy Award-winning producer Dick Wolf, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is now in its 14th season. The program received numerous accolades from community-based organizations for the social issues it tackles, and cast members are frequently recognized for the work they do off-screen to promote personal health and safety and other volunteer efforts and initiatives.

This emotional series from NBC's "Law & Order" brand chronicles the life and crimes of the Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department, an elite squad of detectives who investigate sexually based crimes. Dedicated Detective Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), a seasoned veteran of the unit who has seen it all, heads up the department with empathy and professionalism, all the while dealing with her difficult past—as a product of rape and a witness to her mother's grief, she can personally relate to each victim she tries to help.


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