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U.S. Rep. Steve King told the Westside Conservative Club on Wednesday that humanity might not exist if not for rape and incest. "What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled those people out that were products of rape and incest? Would there be any population of the world left if we did that?" he said at the event in Urbandale, Iowa. "Considering all the wars and all the rapes and pillages taken place and whatever happened to culture after society? I know I can't certify that I'm not a part of a product of that." (Opsahl, 8/14)

King is opposed to exceptions for rape and incest in laws restricting abortion and has tried unsuccessfully to get legislation reflecting his position passed in the House. “It’s not the baby’s fault for the sin of the father, or of the mother,” he said. (O'Brien, 8/14)

House Republican leaders broke from their August recess to publicly chastise him. Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader, and Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the minority whip, both said Mr. King’s comments underscored why he had been removed from his committees, though both stopped short of saying further action was necessary. (Stevens and Stolberg, 8/14)

Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), the third-ranking Republican in the House, responded to King’s comment by declaring, “It’s time for him to go.” ... King’s latest comment drew rebukes from both Republican and Democratic challengers in Iowa. J.D. Scholten, a Democrat who ran against King last year and is challenging him in 2020, said King’s remarks are “disrespectful to survivors and don’t reflect Iowan values.” “Yet again, Steve King puts his selfish, hateful ideology above the needs of the people of Iowa’s 4th district,” Scholten said in a statement. “Excusing violence — in any way — is entirely unacceptable.” (Sonmez, 8/14)

Democrats in Congress and on the 2020 campaign trail reacted with fury, saying that King's comments amounted to excusing violence against women and disregarding the victims of rape and incest. (Ferris, 8/14)

The comments were condemned by many, including Democratic presidential candidates and at least two of King’s Republican primary opponents. "I am 100 % pro-life but Congressman King's bizarre comments and behavior diminish our message and damage our cause,” state senator and 4th District primary candidate Randy Feenstra said in a statement. “President Trump needs defenders in Congress, not distractions.” (Gerlock, 8/14)

Both Republicans and Democrats condemned U.S. Rep. Steve King on Wednesday for comments the Iowa Republican made defending no abortion exemption even in cases of rape or incest. (Ta and Coltrain, 8/14)

We probably don’t need to explain how views on the availability of abortion overlap with partisan politics. The issue has been one of the most polarizing in American politics for decades, with Democrats broadly advocating expanded availability and Republicans generally opposing the procedure. We can be more precise than that. Seventy percent of Democrats think abortion should be legal in all or most cases; 34 percent of Republicans agree. That’s from PRRI’s new national poll on the subject, published Tuesday. When PRRI polled on the subject in 2014, incidentally, the gap between the parties was narrower. Then, 67 percent of Democrats supported legal abortion, as did 39 percent of Republicans. (Bump, 8/14)