NH Legislator Apologizes for Calling Women "Vaginas"

Says he did it for shock value

A New Hampshire lawmaker apologized Wednesday for referring to women as "vaginas" in an email to his House colleagues during a debate over repealing a law allowing people to use deadly force to defend themselves.

"I am embarrassed, to say the least," wrote state Rep. Peter Hansen, R-Amherst, a day after saying he didn't regret the remark and had used the word for shock value.

In an email sent April 1, Hansen, who once used his gun to restrain an intruder at his home, referenced a speech given by another lawmaker, who described how he had been able to retreat without using deadly force in public.