Republican Todd Akin and "Legitimate Rape" doesn't cause Pregnancy

The Internet was filled today with stories of Republican Todd Akin saying Women Don't Really Get Pregnant from "Legitimate Rape."

The arguments surrounding the meaning of "Legitimate Rape" aside, Akin talks about a very wildly held and WRONG belief that women's bodies have a natural defense against rape which prevents pregnancy in all but very rare cases. It's a completely unfounded idea which carries the implicitly offensive idea that if you were raped and got pregnant that you were probably either lying or you probably really wanted it to happen deed down. Akin said:

First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.

So, how often does rape lead to pregnancy? 

Oh, only about 32,000 times per year.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information performed a national study and concluded:

Rape-related pregnancy occurs with significant frequency. It is a cause of many unwanted pregnancies and is closely linked with family and domestic violence. As we address the epidemic of unintended pregnancies in the United States, greater attention and effort should be aimed at preventing and identifying unwanted pregnancies that result from sexual victimization.

So if you hear people talking about this and repeating the FALSE information about women not getting pregnant due to rape, please correct them. 

Here's the video of Todd Akin: