The former child star might not agree with the congressman’s political strategy, but he defends his right to execute it
Kirk Cameron, conservative activist and former Growing Pains child star, has defended Missouri Rep. Todd Akin after his highly publicized — and criticized — comments regarding “legitimate rape.”
“I’m the kind of person that believes that I would like to be evaluated by my entire career and my entire life, not two words that I would misspeak and then later apologize for,” Kirk Cameron told CNN yesterday. This morning, he told Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb that Akin is now in “a very difficult spot.”
“He apologized for it, and I like to evaluate people based on their entire life, their entire career, all they stand for,” he said. “I believe he is a good man.”
Kirk Cameron spent some time with Rep. Todd Akin while he was filming his documentary, Monumental, which explores religion and government in the United States. His press tour is what landed him on the Today show.
“I’m not [Akin’s] political strategist, thank God,” Cameron said on Today. “But I do know, as I’ve sat to actually watch the video — I’ve learned to actually go watch it and not just read the transcripts and the quotes. And clearly, this is a man who is advocating the sanctity of life, through and through.”
The video Kirk Cameron refers to is the clip on KTVI, a St. Louis TV station, of Rep. Todd Akin responding to the question of whether he would support abortion as an option for rape victims. “It seems to me, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare,” he said. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”
Kirk Cameron is known for his conservative activism, which includes a pro-life stance. When he was criticized a few months ago for his remarks that homosexuality was “unnatural,” he told ABC News that he “should be able to express moral views on social issues.”
