conservatives have gone to new extremes lately in opposing abortion. Last week, Richard Mourdock, the Tea Party-backed Republican Senate candidate in Indiana, declared during a debate that he was against abortion even in the event of rape because after much thought he “came to realize that life is that gift from God.And even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.”
What is the meaning of the bold part?
they have recently done/said things that are even more extreme than before
I also can’t work out the above writing. Could you please explain it? Specially the bold parts
“the Tea Party-backed Republican Senate candidate” = the Republican candidate for the US Senate, who is backed (supported) by the Tea Party (a US political movement)
“even in the event of rape” = even in a situation where rape has occurred (“even” suggests that this is an extreme case)
“even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape” is describing a situation when a woman becomes pregnant (“life begins”) after she is raped. “even” has the same meaning as in the previous phrase.
I think “abortion” refers to a situation in which a woman can refrain himself from breeding by medical treatment . I am wondering what is the relation of abortion with rape?
Dozy Could you please explain it to me?
No, abortion is the termination of an unwanted pregnancy: the foetus is removed prematurely from the womb of the pregnant woman and is allowed to die. The medical procedure that renders a person unable to produce children is called sterilisation.
Some people who generally oppose abortion nevertheless think it is acceptable if a woman becomes pregnant as a result of being raped. This candidate opposes abortion even in that case.
Yes, Dozy. I get it now.
I have another question…
after much thought he “came to realize that life is that gift from God. And even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.”
What is referring by “that gift”?
life
conservatives have gone to new extremes lately in opposing abortion. Last week, Richard Mourdock, the Tea Party-backed Republican Senate candidate in Indiana, declared during a debate that he was against abortion even in the event of rape because after much thought he “came to realize that life is that gift from God. And even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.” That [color=red]came on the heels of the Tea Party-backed Republican Representative Joe Walsh of Illinois saying after a recent debate that he opposed abortion even in cases where the life of the mother is in danger, because “with modern technology and science, you can’t find one instance” in which a woman would not survive without an abortion. “Health of the mother has become a tool for abortions anytime, for any reason,” Walsh said. That came in the wake of the Senate hopeful in Missouri, Representative Todd Akin, remarking that pregnancy as a result of “legitimate rape” is rare because “the female body has ways to try and shut that whole thing down.”
What is “that” refer? What is the meaning of the “That came on the heels”?
That = the declaration that Richard Mourdock made last week.
came on the heels of = came straight after ; followed immediately after