Courting controversy: Missouri state Representative Rick Brattin has proposed a bill that would require pregnant women to get permission from the father before having an abortion . A Republican Missouri state lawmaker has proposed a bill that would require pregnant women to get permission from the father before having an abortion – except in cases of incest and 'legitimate rape.' 'Just like any rape, you have to report it, and you have to prove it,' Brattin told Mother Jones in a statement that sparked outrage among state Democrats. 'So you couldn't just go and say, 'Oh yeah, I was raped,' and get an abortion. It has to be a legitimate rape.' Brattin's comments led to comparisons to former Republican Congressman Todd Akin, also from Missouri, who set off a media firestorm in 2012 when he said that women's bodies have ways of not becoming pregnant from what he called 'legitimate rape.' Brattin told The Associated Press that his statement to Mother Jones referred to what is defined in state law as rape. 'What I was trying to explain is whatever is considered by statute to be a rape should apply in this,' he said. 'I'm not going Akin here and trying to redefine what it is and all that kind of garbage.' The bill is one of several introduced year after year addressing abortion, and many never garner enough support to become law. Still, the Republican-led General Assembly in September overrode a veto by the governor to enact a 72-hour waiting periods for an abortion, which is one of the nation's longest and has no exceptions for rape and incest. Family man: Brattin, 34, said he was inspired to propose the bill when he went in for a vasectomy after welcoming his fifth child and had to obtained a written consent from his wife Athena Elizabeth Brattin (pictured) Hard-core conservative: Brattin, pictured here with Sarah Palin in 2012, said his bill aims to prevent women from using abortions as a form of contraception . Sean Nicholson, the executive director of the progressive advocacy group Progress Missouri, said the bill likely is aimed at drumming up support and fundraising. Familiar tune: Brattin's comments led to comparisons to former Republican Congressman from Missouri Todd Akin, who set off a firestorm in 2012 when he said that women's bodies have ways of not becoming pregnant from what he called 'legitimate rape' Nicholson said a woman might be unable to contact the man who impregnated her, and Democratic state Rep. Stacey Newman of St. Louis said Brattin's bill would put women in abusive relationships at risk. Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill, who defeated Akin for the Senate seat, said the time necessary for criminal prosecution of rape would prevent many women from getting abortions. 'This is just a back-door way to eliminate any rape exception, unless the survivor gets a permission slip from her rapist,' McCaskill said in a written statement. She called the bill 'offensive and absurd.' Brattin, who is married with five children, said the bill aims to prevent women from using abortions as a form of contraception, and said he was motivated in part by male friends whose partners had terminated pregnancies without telling them first. 'If you have a father that wants to be a part of that child's life,' Brattin said, 'he should have that right.' The bill, filed December 3, states: 'No abortion shall be performed or induced unless and until the father of the unborn child provides written, notarized consent to the abortion, except in cases in which the woman upon whom the abortion is to be performed or induced was the victim of rape or incest and the pregnancy resulted from the rape or incest. If the father of the unborn child is deceased, the woman upon whom the abortion is to be performed or induced shall sign a notarized affidavit attesting to the fact.' Brattin's proposed legislation makes no provisions for women who are victims of domestic violence. In his interview with Mother Jones, the 34-year-old politician dismissed the issue as not relevant to the subject of abortion. Brattin's proposed legislation makes no provisions for women who are victims of domestic violence. This photo shows the Republican representative surrounded by his wife Athena Elizabeth Brattin and four of his five children . 'What does that have to do with the child's life? Just because it was an abusive relationship, does that mean the child should die?' Brattin, who had his fifth child, a baby girl, earlier this spring, said he was inspired to propose the bill when he went in for a vasectomy and had to obtained a written consent from his wife. The US Supreme Court ruled in the seminal 1992 case Planned Parenthood vs. Casey that it was unconstitutional to require a woman to notify her spouse before she has an abortion.
Missouri state Representative Rick Brattin has proposed a bill that would require pregnant women to get abortion consent from the father .
Brattin's proposed legislation only makes exceptions for incest and what he calls 'legitimate rape'
Says he was inspired when he went in for vasectomy and had to get written permission from his wife .
Brattin, 34-year-old father of five, is worried women use abortion as a type of contraception .
Republican Rep Todd Akin infamously said in 2012 women's bodies have ways of not becoming pregnant from what he called 'legitimate rape'
Courting controversy: Missouri state Representative Rick Brattin has proposed a bill that would require pregnant women to get permission from the father before having an abortion . A Republican Missouri state lawmaker has proposed a bill that would require pregnant women to get permission from the father before having an abortion – except in cases of incest and 'legitimate rape.' 'Just like any rape, you have to report it, and you have to prove it,' Brattin told Mother Jones in a statement that sparked outrage among state Democrats. 'So you couldn't just go and say, 'Oh yeah, I was raped,' and get an abortion. It has to be a legitimate rape.' Brattin's comments led to comparisons to former Republican Congressman Todd Akin, also from Missouri, who set off a media firestorm in 2012 when he said that women's bodies have ways of not becoming pregnant from what he called 'legitimate rape.' Brattin told The Associated Press that his statement to Mother Jones referred to what is defined in state law as rape. 'What I was trying to explain is whatever is considered by statute to be a rape should apply in this,' he said. 'I'm not going Akin here and trying to redefine what it is and all that kind of garbage.' The bill is one of several introduced year after year addressing abortion, and many never garner enough support to become law. Still, the Republican-led General Assembly in September overrode a veto by the governor to enact a 72-hour waiting periods for an abortion, which is one of the nation's longest and has no exceptions for rape and incest. Family man: Brattin, 34, said he was inspired to propose the bill when he went in for a vasectomy after welcoming his fifth child and had to obtained a written consent from his wife Athena Elizabeth Brattin (pictured) Hard-core conservative: Brattin, pictured here with Sarah Palin in 2012, said his bill aims to prevent women from using abortions as a form of contraception . Sean Nicholson, the executive director of the progressive advocacy group Progress Missouri, said the bill likely is aimed at drumming up support and fundraising. Familiar tune: Brattin's comments led to comparisons to former Republican Congressman from Missouri Todd Akin, who set off a firestorm in 2012 when he said that women's bodies have ways of not becoming pregnant from what he called 'legitimate rape' Nicholson said a woman might be unable to contact the man who impregnated her, and Democratic state Rep. Stacey Newman of St. Louis said Brattin's bill would put women in abusive relationships at risk. Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill, who defeated Akin for the Senate seat, said the time necessary for criminal prosecution of rape would prevent many women from getting abortions. 'This is just a back-door way to eliminate any rape exception, unless the survivor gets a permission slip from her rapist,' McCaskill said in a written statement. She called the bill 'offensive and absurd.' Brattin, who is married with five children, said the bill aims to prevent women from using abortions as a form of contraception, and said he was motivated in part by male friends whose partners had terminated pregnancies without telling them first. 'If you have a father that wants to be a part of that child's life,' Brattin said, 'he should have that right.' The bill, filed December 3, states: 'No abortion shall be performed or induced unless and until the father of the unborn child provides written, notarized consent to the abortion, except in cases in which the woman upon whom the abortion is to be performed or induced was the victim of rape or incest and the pregnancy resulted from the rape or incest. If the father of the unborn child is deceased, the woman upon whom the abortion is to be performed or induced shall sign a notarized affidavit attesting to the fact.' Brattin's proposed legislation makes no provisions for women who are victims of domestic violence. In his interview with Mother Jones, the 34-year-old politician dismissed the issue as not relevant to the subject of abortion. Brattin's proposed legislation makes no provisions for women who are victims of domestic violence. This photo shows the Republican representative surrounded by his wife Athena Elizabeth Brattin and four of his five children . 'What does that have to do with the child's life? Just because it was an abusive relationship, does that mean the child should die?' Brattin, who had his fifth child, a baby girl, earlier this spring, said he was inspired to propose the bill when he went in for a vasectomy and had to obtained a written consent from his wife. The US Supreme Court ruled in the seminal 1992 case Planned Parenthood vs. Casey that it was unconstitutional to require a woman to notify her spouse before she has an abortion.
Representative Rick Brattin has proposed a bill that would require pregnant women to get abortion . A Republican Missouri state lawmaker has proposed a bill that would require pregnant women to get permission from the father before 2012 when he said that women's bodies have ways of not becoming pregnant from what he called child and had to obtained a written consent from said that women's bodies have ways of not becoming pregnant from what he called 'legitimate was inspired to propose the bill when he went in for a vasectomy and had to obtained a written