( CNN ) -- Rep. Todd Akin made news this weekend by announcing that pregnancy from `` legitimate rape '' is rare . He further argued that physicians had told him that women who were traumatized in such a way had biological things happen in their bodies to `` shut down '' the `` whole thing '' so that fertilization wo n't occur . There 's so much wrong here that it 's hard to know where to begin . Let 's start with the basics . The human body is intricately designed and exquisitely evolved to make procreation possible . In fact , some would argue that it 's our primary purpose . So you have to understand that everything about our biology is there to make it easier , not harder , for a woman to get pregnant . Women can get pregnant if intercourse happens under water . Women can get pregnant from sex in any position . Women can get pregnant even when they think that they ca n't get pregnant due to menstruation . If you put sperm near egg , women can get pregnant . Republicans distancing themselves from Akin remarks . There is nothing at all about a woman 's mindset that affects this . Women ca n't wish pregnancy away . If they could , then many teen pregnancies would n't occur ; few teens want to get pregnant . But think of the larger picture . Women in abusive relationships get pregnant . Women in horrible socioeconomic conditions get pregnant . And , yes , women who have been raped get pregnant . The body does n't differentiate between `` legitimate '' rape and `` illegitimate '' rape -- whatever that is . The body does n't know whether the rapist is known to a victim . The body does n't know if a knife or a gun , or alcohol or drugs ( or any combination of them ) , were used . Every sexual encounter does not lead to pregnancy , but every sexual encounter leads to the possibility of pregnancy . Period . Akin flub puts abortion at center of campaign debate . So why would someone say such a thing ? While it 's hard to get into the mind of another individual , we can guess . This line of reasoning is n't new . It 's been used for the most part to delegitimize the idea that exceptions to abortion prohibitions should exist for rape . After all , if you really believe that abortion is the taking of a human life , then it 's hard to suggest that there is any rationalization for it at all . While ethically consistent , this belief is rare in the United States . Even among those who oppose abortion , most people support exceptions for rape and incest . It 's hard for a politician who firmly opposes abortion to square this . Such a person wants the support of a majority of people but does n't want to compromise principles . One option , then , is to find a way to make the occurrence of the problem nonexistent . If pregnancy from rape does n't happen , then we do n't need exceptions in the law . The problem , of course , is that such pregnancies do occur . More than 31,000 of them happen in America every year . Pretending they do n't by listening to a few anecdotes wo n't make them go away . This is what happens when reality gets in the way of our moral convictions . Life is tricky . It 's nuanced and complicated and often fraught with contradictions . Contrary to what you read , most people do n't have black and white views of abortion . Few believe that it should be prohibited when it might save the life of a mother . Few believe that it should be allowed a week before a fetus is full-term . In other words , relatively few people believe abortion should never be legal , and few believe it should always be legal . This places abortion in the gray zone . That does n't work well for elections . It also does n't make for clean philosophical discussions . It certainly does n't make for good sound bites . A further problem with proclamations like Akin 's , though , is what they sound like to women who have been raped . If you believe what he does , then anyone who did get pregnant was n't `` legitimately '' raped . Moreover , it belies a willful ignorance of science . Rape has occurred in history time and time again . Women get pregnant from it . This is known . There is no debate to be had . Opinion : Why Ryan is not bad for women . Those who support Republicans , and even Akin , in this election believe this to be a distraction and a problem . They 're right . History shows that statements like this can turn close elections . A win in Missouri for the Democrats may mean that they retain control of the Senate . Moreover , this will be what we are talking about this week instead of the economy , jobs , or health care reform . That 's bad for Romney and Ryan . The good news is that all of this is avoidable . Stick to science . If people did that more , they would n't have to claim they `` misspoke '' later . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Aaron Carroll .
Rep. Todd Akin said pregnancy from `` legitimate rape '' is rare . Aaron Carroll says he 's wrong : Humans are designed to reproduce . He says Akin probably aimed to make prohibition of abortions square with an ( alternate ) reality . Carroll : Akin 's ludicrous remark is distraction Republicans could avoid if they stuck to science .