In an effort to explain his stance on abortion, Todd Akin, the Republican Senate nominee from Missouri, provoked ire across the political spectrum by saying in instances of “legitimate rape”, women’s bodies somehow blocked an unwanted pregnancy.

Asked in an interview on a St Louis television station about his views on abortion, Akin, a six-term member of Congress and a favourite of Tea Party conservatives, made it clear his opposition to the practice was nearly absolute, even in instances of rape.