GOP Senate candidate accuses Dems of distorting his rape comments
(CNN) - U.S. Senate candidate Richard Mourdock said Wednesday that he is sorry if he offended anyone by saying that pregnancies from rape are "something that God intended to happen" but accused Democrats of distorting his comments for political gain.
"For those who want to kind of twist the comments and use them for partisan, political gain, I think that's what's wrong with Washington these days," the Indiana candidate said. "I spoke from my heart; I spoke with my principle; I spoke from my faith. And if others want to somehow turn those words and use them against me, again, that's what's wrong with Washington today.
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"It is win at any costs. Let's make up issues when we can't find real ones. Let's twist, let's distort, let's deceive. And I think that's a sad process."
His initial comments came during a debate Tuesday with Democratic congressman Joe Donnelly, and they prompted outrage among liberals who accuse the GOP of seeking to undermine women's rights.
"Mr. Mourdock's lack of compassion for rape survivors is callous, insulting and completely out of touch," said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Mourdock became the Republican Senate nominee after toppling longtime incumbent Richard Lugar in a bitter primary fight. The Louisville (Kentucky) Courier-Journal, which had endorsed Lugar, announced Wednesday that it was endorsing Donnelly in part because of Mourdock's pregnancy comment.
The newspaper, which has readers in southern Indiana, wrote that Mourdock's statement "exceeded extreme" and that Donnelly represented "the only rational choice for voters."
The flap erupted after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney endorsed Mourdock in a television commercial this week. In a statement issued Wednesday, Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said the presidential hopeful "disagrees with Richard Mourdock, and Mr. Mourdock's comments do not reflect Gov. Romney's views" - but Romney still supports him, she said.
The head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, stood behind Mourdock as well.
"Richard and I, along with millions of Americans - including even Joe Donnelly - believe that life is a gift from God," Cornyn said in a written statement. "To try and construe his words as anything other than a restatement of that belief is irresponsible and ridiculous. In fact, rather than condemning him for his position, as some in his party have when it's come to Republicans, I commend Congressman Donnelly for his support of life."
Donnelly has said he opposes abortion but would allow exceptions for rape and incest and when the life of the mother is endangered.
The controversy comes two months after Rep. Todd Akin, the GOP Senate nominee in Missouri, touched off a firestorm over the same issue when he said "legitimate rape" rarely results in pregnancy. Akin faced a backlash from most of his own party as well as Democrats but defied calls to step aside from numerous GOP leaders, including Romney.
A senior GOP strategist said Mourdock may not face as much pushback from Republican leaders, given the limited time remaining before Election Day and the importance of holding the Indiana seat. But Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-New Hampshire, canceled plans to campaign with Mourdock on Wednesday.
Ayotte spokesman Jeff Grappone said in a statement, "She disagrees with Treasurer Mourdock's comments, which do not represent her views." And the GOP candidate for governor in Indiana, Rep. Mike Pence, said in a statement issued Wednesday, "I strongly disagree with the statement made by Richard Mourdock during last night's Senate debate. I urge him to apologize."
And Democrats swiftly pounced on the remark. Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued a statement describing the comment as "outrageous and demeaning to women" and called on Romney to take down his ad. Democratic groups and their allies put out web videos Wednesday morning to highlight Mourdock's comments.
"As Mourdock's most prominent booster and star of Mourdock's current campaign ads, Mitt Romney should denounce these comments more strongly than he has," DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse said. "He should go further and demand that the ad featuring him speaking directly to the camera on Mourdock's behalf be taken off the air, and Mitt Romney should withdraw his endorsement of Mourdock immediately."
Mourdock was explaining his opposition to abortion in cases of rape or incest when he made his remark.
"I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize life is a gift from God, and I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen," said Mourdock, the Indiana state treasurer. He added that he would allow for exceptions to an abortion ban when a mother's life was in danger.
Seeking to clarify his comments, Mourdock said Wednesday that "I absolutely abhor violence. I absolutely abhor any kind of sexual violence. I abhor rape, and I am absolutely confident that, as I stand here, the God that I worship abhors violence, abhors sexual violence and abhors rape. The God that I worship would never, ever want to see evil done.
"So many people mistook, twisted, came to misunderstand the points that I was trying to make. ... If they came away with any impression other than that, I truly regret it."
CNN's Kevin Liptak, Dana Bash, Paul Steinhauser, Rachel Streitfeld and Ted Barrett contributed to this report.
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So, if God allows a woman to become pregnant after rape, and the woman chooses to have an abortion, is God still at work when the embryo or fetus is removed?
War on women? War on stupidity is what we should have.
Another point Mr Mourdock start looking for another job.
What an absurd and sick man.
These guys (Akin, Walsh and Mourdock) are grinding the republican party into the ground. Most people are moderate on the abortion issue and these guys bring the party down. People like this take away the middle ground which Romney critically needs to be elected. This issue was resolved 40 years ago, just let it go
This is why it's so difficult to take the GOP seriously. REALLY?!
But that just it. You DONT respect the opinions/rights of others. If you did you would allow those ADULTS to make the DECISIONS FOR THEMSELVES just as you would want any of your major life decisions left up to you sir. If I told you tomorrow it was Gods will for you to drop out, would you? Or would you, despite my message from heaven above, make your own decision because its your own life.
If he believes "god" intended a pregnancy from a rape, then I'm glad I'm an atheist!!!
I wonder if these guys ever stop and think "does what I'm about to say make any sense and will I be able to persuade people who think logically?" before they say these things. Unfortunately these are the people who call the shots.
I wish I could move to Indiana just to vote against this "man".
Women have had the vote less than 100 years. This tell them what men think of them. Every time a woman votes men's rule fades slightly. Vote your conscience but never forget what men think and what the Republican party thinks of both you and your cervix. It belongs to them.
What a twisted slant on what he said. Shame on you CNN.
Any Republican who would vote for a man like this has got to be sick themselves. I understand you have your religion but no matter what this man says...he is condoning rape or the results of rape....rape isn't a closed subject any more...you understand the implications, the results, the damage....how far back in time do you want to go?
This from the same political party that brought you 'the legitimate rape' and 'Some girls rape easy'. No surprise. Let your vote be your counterpoint, American women.
This is who the Republicans are and what they think of women. Your cervix belongs to them. Vote your heart but know who you empower.
Where in God's name do all these crazy Republicans come from. Is there anybody in the GOP top level that looks at these guys and say...No way, this guy is nuts, or are they all qualified by being a nutjob? Rape...God's Will? Another off the wall lunatic. The inmates have all escaped and are hiding in the Republican Party.
If you believe that rape in any way is a gift from god, or that you believe in a horrible deity that would do such a thing, you can go blank yourself. That is disgusting.
Well, Donnelly, your god is quite impotent then.
wow, the terrible stupidity of the GOP is mind blowing.
Let these people lead a congregation but dont let them lead a nation. We deserve better.
So, according to this guy, God has no control over who gets raped, but if it gets you pregnant that was all God's doing. How did any of these people ever get elected to begin with?
Those whacky, crazy, scary Talibangelicals.
No you dummy. It's a gift from the stork. Don't you know anything about by biology?
You'll be singing a different tune if one of your family members is raped.
If the result of the rape is God's will, that means the rape itself was too. So God is the real rapist?
Somebody actually said this out loud? Like it's not bad enoughto believe, but to be ignorant enough to tell somebody??