Republican Senate candidate Rep. Troy Akin has apologized for his claim that "legitimate" (forcible) rape rarely results in pregnancy. But this claim, sometimes elaborated by an explanation that physical trauma interferes with the "delicate hormonal balance" that makes pregnancy possible or even that the Fallopian tubes "tighten" to prevent conception, is common in pro-life circles. If a fertilized egg is to be regarded as a person, a human life that needs to be protected, then abortion must be opposed even in cases or rape or incest. But while that position is logical and consistent, it is difficult for many people to accept. Pro-life activists might describe a child that is the result of incest or rape is a "gift" and deserving of life to try to convince women in these circumstances to not terminate the pregnancy. But the assertions that pregnancy from forcible rape is very unlikely (less than 1%) are false (data are limited but the best available figure is 5%), and there is no basis in science for the explanations regarding delicate hormonal balances or closing of the Fallopian tubes---these are fanciful.
This kind of disregard for the truth seems to be widespread in this country now. Over the weekend, a colleague pointed me to a series of videos produced by an anonymous biologist who calls himself "The Living Dinosaur"; these videos highlight egregious errors by certain creationists who misrepresent current biological research to construe it as evidence against evolution. While I'm not sure I can recommend watching these videos ("Holy Hallucinations," a series numbered 1 through 31), because their tone is insulting and scatological, the two videos I watched (numbers 22 and 28) were very convincing---the creationists display ignorance of biology and a clear disregard for the truth (they are clearly not testing their own claims or doing the background research that would be needed to make sure their claims are sound). Also this weekend, a facebook acquaintance posted photos he had taken at the Creation Museum (in Kentucky, near Cincinnati, Ohio), documenting that in fact they do indeed show dioramas featuring dinosaurs with humans, and they outline through a sequence of exhibits their fanciful claims about geology and biology. This museum is extremely well-funded and from what I saw in my friend's photos, the exhibits were top-notch in quality and artistic design. But these beliefs are widespread in evangelical circles, and books promoting these beliefs are available in most evangelical bookstores---including the bookstore at the large megachurch Southeast Christian Church (a Louisville fixture with 17,000 people attending services on a typical weekend).
Of course, nowadays a blatant disregard for the truth is on display in the presidential race. Both sides are guilty; ads run on behalf of the Obama campaign falsely accuse Romney and Bain of depriving a family of health coverage, resulting in a cancer death. (This was nicely parodied by the Onion, in a story about an ad blaming Romney in the Jon Benet Ramsey murder.) But sometimes I find myself impressed at how devious the deceptions are. One common Republican campaign talking point (as described by former GM CEO Bob Lutz) describes the Chevy Volt as an Obama-inspired program, a socialist-inspired automotive policy that spent a lot of the public's money to create the vehicle and now supports it with a $7500 tax credit. But it turns out that the Volt was conceived by GM in 2006 and a prototype was shown in 2007, and the $7500 tax credit was enacted before Obama became president. (See the interview with Bob Lutz by Markkus Rovito in Charged, the Electric Vehicles Magazine.)