The topic of abortion has come up once again, this time comments were made by Richard Mourdock, a GOP U.S. Senate candidate from Indiana. Mourdock said that he is against aborting pregnancies caused by rape because “it is something that God intended to happen.” The comments were made in a debate with Representative Joe Donnelly, a Democrat, and Libertarian Andrew Horning. A person in attendance asked about their views on abortion. The three men all said that they are against abortion.
“The only exception I have to have an abortion is in the case of the life of the mother,” said Mourdock. “I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize life is that gift from God. I think that even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.”
Mourdock defeated Republican senator Richard Lugar during the May primary. Donnelly has been accused of not having any strength on the issue of abortion by Mourdock because he voted for health care reform laws.
“I believe in pro-life,” Donnelly said. “I believe that life begins at conception. The only exceptions I believe in are for rape, incest and the life a mother.”
Horning’s response to all of the abortion comments was that the decision by the Supreme Court in the Roe v. Wade case was unconstitutional. He said that abortion should be handled by the states.
Mitt Romney was not happy with the abortion comments made by Mourdock, who he has endorsed and even made a campaign ad for him that runs in Indiana. “Gov. Romney disagrees with Richard Mourdock’s comments, and they do not reflect his views,” Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said.
After the debate, Mourdock tried to clear up his comments, saying, “God creates life, and that was my point. God does not want rape, and by no means was I suggesting that He does. Rape is a horrible thing, and for anyone to twist my words otherwise is absurd and sick.”
Donnelly then released a statement in response after the debate: “I think rape is a heinous and violent crime in every instance. The God I believe in and the God I know most Hoosiers believe in, does not intend for rape to happen — ever. What Mr. Mourdock said is shocking, and it is stunning that he would be so disrespectful to survivors of rape.”
A spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Shripal Shah, said, “Richard Mourdock’s disturbing comment about rape is a window into Mourdock’s extreme view of the world. Indiana can’t afford to send a self-proclaimed ‘zealot’ and Tea Partier like Richard Mourdock to the Senate.”
