Missouri Republican Rep. and Senate nominee Todd Akin said in an interview Sunday that in the case of what he called "legitimate rape," the "female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."
"From what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare,” Akin told local station KTVI-TV in response to a question about abortion and women's rights issues.
Akin's remarks immediately ignited a social firestorm on Twitter, with many users condemning his remarks and pointing out the clear factual flaws in his understanding of biology. The term "legitimate rape" was trending within hours of the interview being picked up by a major media outlet.
A snapshot of the conversation around Akin's controversial comments can be seen below:
[View the story "Congressman's Rape Comments Ignite Social Firestorm" on Storify]