By Jen Heger - Breaking Celebrity News Assistant Managing Editor

Famed women's rights attorney, Gloria Allred has written an open letter to Congressman Todd Akin imploring him to stay in the Missouri Senate race after shocking comments he made earlier this week claiming that a woman couldn't get pregnant from a "legitimate rape," Breaking Celebrity News is exclusively reporting.

As previously reported, Akin, a six-term congressman, made the shocking claim during an interview with KTVI-TV in Missouri on Sunday. "First of all, from what I understand from doctors, (pregnancy from rape) is really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let's assume that maybe that didn't work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child."

Rep. Akin issued a statement late Sunday after a firestorm erupted on social media sites denouncing his comments. He said: "In reviewing my off-the-cuff remarks, it's clear that I mis