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Sunday, Jan 13, 2013 10:10 PM UTC

Phil Gingrey once sat on the House Science Committee

Gingrey, who partially defended Todd Akin on "legitimate rape," also chairs the GOP Doctor’s Caucus

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Topics: House Science Committee, House Republicans, Phil Gingrey, Todd Akin, Legitimate rape,

Phil Gingrey once sat on the House Science Committee (Credit: Wikipedia)

In the grand tradition of House Republicans who have sat on the House Science Committee, Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., is under fire for making scientifically questionable comments about rape.

Last week, Gingrey offered a partial defense of Todd Akin’s comments about “legitimate rape”and women’s bodies being able to shut down pregnancies, telling the Marietta Daily Journal that Akin was “partly right” on that score:

“I’ve delivered lots of babies, and I know about these things. It is true. We tell infertile couples all the time that are having trouble conceiving because of the woman not ovulating, ‘Just relax. Drink a glass of wine. And don’t be so tense and uptight because all that adrenaline can cause you not to ovulate.’ So he was partially right wasn’t he?”

Gingrey is currently the Chair of the GOP Doctors Caucus, has been Ranking Member of the Science Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, and, like Akin, previously served on the House Science Committee. 

Gingrey and Akin are in good company. Among the current members of the House Science Committee are Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga., who recently said that  ”All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the Big Bang Theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell,” and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif.,  who once suggested a period of dramatic climate change 55 million years ago may have been caused by”dinosaur flatulence.” The current chair, Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, decried several major news networks for coverage that was “largely slanted in favor of global warming alarmists.”

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com. More Jillian Rayfield.

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