It hasn't taken long for the question of abortion to surface as a point of controversy in at least one congressional race. Axios has produced audio of Republican candidate Yesli Vega in Virginia suggesting it's plausible that pregnancy isn't as likely after rape. Vega faces Democratic incumbent Abigail Spanberger in November in the closely watched contest. The audio is from a conversation Vega had with another woman at a Stafford County event. At one point, the woman says, "I've actually heard that it's harder for a woman to get pregnant if she's been raped. Have you heard that?" Vega's response:
- "Well, maybe because there's so much going on in the body. I don't know. I haven't, you know, seen any studies. But if I'm processing what you're saying, it wouldn't surprise me. Because it's not something that's happening organically. You're forcing it." When the other woman suggests the woman's "body shuts down," Vega says, "Yeah, yeah. And then the individual, the male, is doing it as quickly—it's not like, you know—and so I can see why there is truth to that. It's unfortunate." (Listen to the clip here.)