In the wake of Todd Akin’s controversial comments on abortion after rape, the Republican Party has swatted the issue away countless times, treating it as a source of distraction from the “more important” economic disputes.

Politicians’ rabid pursuit of votes has caused their vision to turn tactfully away from a glaring issue: Todd Akin, the same man who said that a woman’s body could stop the fertilization process after a “legitimate rape”, is still a part of the United States House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Although the name isn’t widely recognized, this committee is comprised of state representatives and its jurisdiction is enormous. According to their website, its jurisdiction includes all energy, space, and non-military science research, including scholarships and projects.

And Akin isn’t the only one who seemed to have skipped science class. Among the other committee members, there was a vast array of history, fine arts, and political science degrees, but very few science degrees.

So, from the Todd Akin controversy stems a bigger issue: our scientific future as a country lies largely in the hands of some not-so-scientifically minded politicians.

When one of these politicians, Akin, decides to say something so biologically incorrect and offensive, it makes me wonder: how much evolutionary research can occur with these unfounded beliefs remaining a part of a federal science committee?

While the Republican Party brings valid economic concerns to the attention of a nation eagerly awaiting change, we cannot deem Akin’s statement a distraction. After all, in order to have a functioning board that conceives great scientific minds and research, it would help if all of the members have a basic understanding of conception itself.