John C. Willke

John Charles Willke (April 5, 1925 – February 20, 2015) was an American author, physician, and anti-abortion activist. He served as president of National Right to Life and, along with his wife Barbara, authored a number of books on abortion and human sexuality.[1] Willke was a leading proponent of the false claim that women's bodies can resist pregnancy resulting from sexual assault, an idea which continues to be promoted by some anti-abortion politicians.[1][2]

John C. Willke
Born
John Charles Willke

(1925-04-05)April 5, 1925
Maria Stein, Ohio, United States
DiedFebruary 20, 2015(2015-02-20) (aged 89)
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
NationalityAmerican
Known forPro-life activist and former President of the National Right to Life Committee
Spouse(s)Barbara Jean Willke (c. 1923 – 2013) (m. c. 1948 – 2013) her death
Scientific career
Fieldsphysician

Life and career

John Charles Willke was born in Maria Stein, Ohio, the son of Marie Margaret (Wuennemann) and Gerald Thomas Willke.[3] He attended Roger Bacon High School (1942) in Cincinnati and earned his M.D. from the University of Cincinnati in 1948.[4] In 1948, he married Babara Hiltz, a nurse.[5] Willke worked as a family physician in Cincinnati, Ohio, but ceased practicing medicine in 1988 in order to devote himself full-time to the anti-abortion movement.[1] He was on the senior attending staff of the formerly named Providence and Good Samaritan hospitals (affiliated with The University of Toledo among many institutions).[6]

In the 1950s and 60s, Willke and his wife taught abstinence-only sex education courses for the Catholic Church and became increasingly concerned by the movement to legalize abortion.[5] In the early 1970s, he founded Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati along with his wife to lobby against Roe v. Wade. In 1971, Willke and his wife wrote Handbook on Abortion, which sold over a million copies and was influential in the anti-abortion movement.[7] Willke's use of graphic photography pioneered its prominence in anti-abortion materials.[8] The book promoted the false belief that rape could not result in pregnancy.[7]

In 1980, he became president of organization National Right to Life, which is the nation’s oldest and largest anti-abortion organization.[7] As his activism grew into the 1990s, he felt that by embracing claims that of women's rights and welfare through compassion, he could gain the support of those ambivalent on the issue. These new claims were marketed through the slogan "Love Them Both."[8]

Views on pregnancy via rape
See also: Pregnancy from rape

Willke was a proponent of the concept that female rape victims have physiologic defenses against pregnancy, and thus that women rarely become pregnant after a sexual assault. Willke wrote in Christian Life Resources in 1999: "There's no greater emotional trauma that can be experienced by a woman than an assault rape. This can radically upset her possibility of ovulation, fertilization, implantation and even nurturing of a pregnancy". Willke claimed that for what he called "forcible rape" or "assault rape" (which Willke defined as separate from statutory rape) pregnancy is rare, resulting in only approximately four pregnancies per state per year.[1][9] Research published in the Journal of American Obstetrics and Gynecology concluded rape "is a cause of many unwanted pregnancies". A separate study of 405 female rape victims of reproductive age found 6.4% became pregnant.[10][11]

In an interview on August 20, 2012, following the Todd Akin rape and pregnancy controversy, Willke said: "This is a traumatic thing—she's, shall we say, she's uptight. She is frightened, tight, and so on. And sperm, if deposited in her vagina, are less likely to be able to fertilize. The tubes are spastic." Willke's assertions were dismissed as false and outlandish by experts in obstetrics and gynecology.[12][13][14] The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists stated that rape victims had no control over whether they became pregnant, adding that "to suggest otherwise contradicts basic biological truths".[14] Michael Greene, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive health at Harvard Medical School, dismissed Willke's claims by saying: "There are no words for this—it is just nuts."[12]

Political affiliations

Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign embraced Willke as "an important surrogate for Governor Romney's pro-life and pro-family agenda",[15] and Romney expressed pride to "have the support of a man who has meant so much to the pro-life movement in our country."[16]

After Todd Akin, a U.S. representative from Missouri, made a controversial remark about rape and pregnancy, stating "legitimate rape" rarely results in pregnancy, Willke publicly defended Akin, saying he believed Akin meant to say "forcible rape" not "legitimate rape". The congressman was facing criticism over the phrase "legitimate rape", which was taken to suggest some forms or rape are acceptable. Akin confirmed he misspoke and that Willke was correct in that he did mean to say "forcible rape".[17]

In August 2012, Willke wrote Mitt Romney a letter in which he wrote, "It's time for Republican leaders to rise to the level of Rep. Akin's principle and courage and stand with him and the Republican platform that stands for the protection of every human life."[18] Willke told the Washington bureau of The Daily Telegraph that he had met with Romney during his 2012 presidential campaign, and Romney had praised him saying, "thank you for your support – we agree on almost everything, and if I am elected President I will make some major pro-life pronouncements."[19]

Books and booklets
  • Handbook on Abortion - First published in 1971, the Handbook on Abortion is an anti-abortion booklet written and published by Willke and his wife. The booklet has been widely distributed, republished, and translated, and has been influential in shaping pro-life thought, according to journalist Linda Greenhouse.[20]
  • Abortion and Slavery: History Repeats ISBN 978-0685087824
  • How to Teach Children the Wonder of Sex: a guide for parents and teachers ISBN 978-0910728171
  • Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia, Past & Present ISBN 978-0910728225
  • Abortion, Questions and Answers: Why Can't We Love Them Both ISBN 978-0318351650
  • Abortion and the Pro-life Movement: An Inside View (2014)
gollark: Yes, hi.
gollark: I'm sure SOMEONE misconfigured their ircd enough.
gollark: Well, I can always try and find random public IRC servers and link to them?
gollark: > spy do you like atlas shruggedI've never read it, but "objectivism" does seem bad.
gollark: I hope this doesn't lead to netsplits/

References
  1. Smyth, Julie (August 24, 2012). "Ohio doctor helps perpetuate rape pregnancy ideas". Associated Press. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  2. "Anti-Abortion Advocate Dr. John Willke Dies at 89 in Ohio". abcnews.go.com. February 21, 2015.
  3. Who's who in Religion. Marquis Who's Who. 1992. ISBN 9780837916040.
  4. http://enquirer.com/editions/2000/07/02/loc_dr_willke_stands_by.html Enquirer
  5. Stafford, Ned (2015). "John C Willke". BMJ: British Medical Journal. 350. ISSN 0959-8138. JSTOR 26520200.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2010-06-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Life Issues.org
  7. Rosen, Kenneth R. (2015-02-22). "John C. Willke, Doctor Who Led Fight Against Abortion, Dies at 89". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
  8. Siegel, Reva B. (2012). "Abortion and the "Woman Question": Forty Years of Debate". Yale Law School Legal Scholarship Repository.
  9. Willke, John (April 1999). "Rape Pregnancies Are Rare". Life Issues Connector. Christian Life Resources. Archived from the original on 2013-04-19. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
  10. Kliff, Sarah (20 August 2012). "Rep. Todd Akin is wrong about rape and pregnancy, but he's not alone". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  11. Holmes, MM; Resnick, HS; Kilpatrick, DG; Best, CL (August 1996). "Rape-related pregnancy: estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women". American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 175 (2): 320–324. doi:10.1016/S0002-9378(96)70141-2. PMID 8765248.
  12. "Health Experts Dismiss Assertions on Rape". The New York Times. 2012-08-21. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
  13. Dellorto, Danielle (August 22, 2012). "Experts: Rape does not lower odds of pregnancy". CNN.
  14. Gardner, Amanda (August 21, 2012). "No Truth to Akin's Claim That Rape Hinders Pregnancy, Experts Say". U.S. News & World Report.
  15. Lee, Kristen (2012-08-21). "Pro-life doctor John Willke, linked to Akin's 'forcible rape' claims, endorsed Romney in 2007". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
  16. "Dr. John Willke, A Founder Of The Pro-Life Movement Nationally & Internationally, Endorses Gov. Romney". 2007-12-27. Archived from the original on 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
  17. Pesta, Abigail (August 21, 2012). "Todd Akin Finds a Friend in Dr. John Willke, a Pro-Life 'Founding Father'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  18. Mascaro, Lisa; Kim Geiger (21 August 2012). "campaign 2012 Latest News / Battleground States / Fundraising / Super PAC Spending / Political Cartoons / Opinion Todd Akin touts support from crusader who espoused theories on rape". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  19. Swaine, Jon (August 22, 2012). "US election: Mitt Romney met Todd Akin doctor Jack Willke during 2012 campaign". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  20. "The Rhetoric That Shaped The Abortion Debate". National Public Radio. 2010-06-28. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
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