GOP Hopeful: Post-Rape Abortion Is 'More Violence' on Woman

The latest fallout over a Republican candidate's views on rape and/or abortion: A Seattle-area congressional nominee has dubbed abortions after rape "more violence onto a woman's body." Tea Party candidate John Koster was caught on tape noting that as to cases when the life of the mother is at stake, "I'm not going to make that decision," Reuters reports. "But on the rape thing, it's like, how does putting more violence onto a woman's body and taking the life of an innocent child that's a consequence of this crime, how does that make it better?"

He added: "I know crime has consequences, but how does it make it better by killing a child?" the Seattle Times reports. Koster's Democratic opponent, Suzan DelBene, calls the comments "out of touch." Koster's website now says DelBene supporters were up to "dirty tricks" with the tape, released by a liberal activist group. "The recording was done secretly, then edited to suit DelBene's agenda," Koster's campaign manager says. "The insinuation that John Koster is in some way 'callous' or 'cavalier' when it comes to the subject of rape is another example of the vicious and desperate tactics ... employed to slander the good name of John Koster." (More John Koster stories.)