John C. Willke
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John C. Willke is an American medical doctor, author, and pro-life activist. Along with his wife Barbara, he is the author of a number of books on abortion and human sexuality.[1][2] He is the founder and president of the International Right to Life Federation and president of the Life Issues Institute. He is a former president of National Right to Life, and a proponent of the discredited concept that rape victims rarely get pregnant.[3]
Willke practiced medicine in Cincinnati, Ohio for 40 years, at the Providence and Good Samaritan hospitals.[4]
Views on rape and pregnancy
Willke is a proponent of the discredited concept that female rape victims have physiologic defenses against pregnancy, and thus that women rarely become pregnant after a sexual assault. Willke wrote in Christian Life Resources in 1999: "There's no greater emotional trauma that can be experienced by a woman than an assault rape. This can radically upset her possibility of ovulation, fertilization, implantation and even nurturing of a pregnancy", claiming that sexual assaults resulted in only about four pregnancies per state per year.[3][5]
In an interview on August 20, 2012, following the Todd Akin rape and pregnancy controversy, he said: "This is a traumatic thing — she’s, shall we say, she’s uptight. She is frightened, tight, and so on. And sperm, if deposited in her vagina, are less likely to be able to fertilize. The tubes are spastic."
These assertions were disputed by a number of gynecology professors.[6] A study published in 1996 by the Medical University of South Carolina estimated that there are approximately 32,000 pregnancies from rape in the United States each year, a pregnancy rate of 5% per rape among victims of reproductive age.[7]
Links with Republican party
Mitt Romney's 2007 campaign embraced Willke as "an important surrogate for Governor Romney's pro-life and pro-family agenda",[8] and Romney expressed his pride to "have the support of a man who has meant so much to the pro-life movement in our country."[9]
During the Todd Akin rape and pregnancy controversy in August 2012, Willke wrote a letter to Todd Akin in which he stated, "It's time for Republican leaders to rise to the level of Rep. Akin's principle and courage and stand with him and the Republican platform that stands for the protection of every human life."[10] Dr Willkie told the Washington bureau of the The Daily Telegraph that he met Romney during the latter's 2012 campaign, when Romney had praised him: "He told me 'thank you for your support – we agree on almost everything, and if I am elected President I will make some major pro-life pronouncements'." [11]
Books and booklets
- Handbook on Abortion - First published in 1971, the Handbook on Abortion is a pro-life booklet written and published Willke and his wife. The booklet has been widely distributed, republished many times, and translated into a number of languages, according to journalist Linda Greenhouse.[12] The booklet has been influential in shaping pro-life thought in the United States[12]
- Abortion and Slavery: History Repeats ISBN 978-0685087824
- How to Teach Children the Wonder of Sex: a guide for parents and teachers ISBN 978-0910728171
- Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia, Past & Present ISBN 978-0910728225
- Abortion, Questions and Answers: Why Can’t We Love Them Both, a successor to earlier books[2] ISBN 978-0318351650
References
- ^ "Board Members". "International Right to Life Federation website. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
- ^ a b "Dr. J.C. Willke". Life Issues Institute website. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
- ^ a b DeMillo, Andrew (August 24, 2012). "US doctor helps perpetuate rape pregnancy ideas". Associated Press. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ "Dr. Wilke". Life Issues Institute. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- ^ Willke, John (April 1999). "Rape Pregnancies Are Rare". Life Issues Connector. Christian Life Resources.
- ^ "Health Experts Dismiss Assertions on Rape". The New York Times. 2012-08-21. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
- ^ Holmes, MM; Resnick, HS; Kilpatrick, DG; Best, CL (1996). "Rape-related pregnancy: estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women". American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 175 (2): 320–324. doi:10.1016/S0002-9378(96)70141-2. PMID 8765248. Retrieved 2012-08-21. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ^ Lee, Kristen (2012-08-21). "Pro-life doctor John Willke, linked to Akin's 'forcible rape' claims, endorsed Romney in 2007". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20071227112415/http:/www.mittromney.com/News/Press-Releases/Endorsement_Willke
- ^ Mascaro, Lisa (21 Augg 2012). "campaign 2012 Latest News / Battleground States / Fundraising / Super PAC Spending / Political Cartoons / Opinion Todd Akin touts support from crusader who espoused theories on rape". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-08-22. Unknown parameter
|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Jon Swaine, August 22, 2012, The Daily Telegraph, US election: Mitt Romney met Todd Akin doctor Jack Willke during 2012 campaign
- ^ a b "The Rhetoric That Shaped The Abortion Debate". National Public Radio. 2010-06-28. Retrieved 2010-06-30.