Maine's Republican senators are calling comments made by a member of their own party offensive, bizarre and repugnant.
Representative Todd Akin, a US Senate candidate in Missouri, said in a television interview that women's bodies are able to prevent pregnancies if they are victims of "legitimate rape." Akin has since apologized for those comments.
Senator Olympia Snowe said in a statement on Tuesday, "There is no doubt that Rep. Akin cannot – and should not – represent the Republican party in this fall's general election for United States Senator from Missouri, and it is appropriate for our party to deny him any and all funding should he decide not to step aside before today's deadline.”
Senator Susan Collins told TV5 on Tuesday that stepping down is a decision only Akin can make for himself, after talking with his supporters in Missouri.
She said, "I'm not comfortable telling him what he should do, but I frankly just do not see how he can go on with the campaign. What he said was so outrageous, so beyond the bounds of decency, so bizarre, that it's inconceivable for me that he can continue as a candidate."
Collins said his comments raise questions about his suitability to serve.
Akin said he isn't dropping out of the race.
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