Washington: US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who had distanced himself from Indiana GOP Senate candidate Richard Mourdock’s bizarre remarks that pregnancy resulting from rape is ‘something God intended’ is continuing to support him.
“We disagree on policy but still support him” and declined to pull the endorsement ad running in Indiana,” Romney’s campaign said.
In a press conference on Wednesday morning, Mourdock, stood by his comments, apologizing only to people misinterpreting his statement.
“I said life is precious. I believe life is precious. I believe rape is a brutal act. It is something that I abhor. That anyone could come away with any meaning other than what I just said is regrettable, and for that I apologize. The apology – as I said before, roll this tape back – is if anybody misinterpreted what I said,” he said.
“I absolutely abhor violence. I abhor sexual violence. I abhor rape. And I'm confident God abhors it,” the Guardian quoted Mourdock, as saying.
The Romney campaign said that while the presidential hopeful disagreed with Mourdock on when abortion should be allowed, he would not withdraw his support.
Romney’s press secretary Andrea Saul said that Romney ‘disagrees with Richard Mourdock, and Mr Mourdock''s comments do not reflect Governor Romney's views’.
“We disagree on the policy regarding exceptions for rape and incest but still support him,” Saul added.
Both Mourdock and Romney's campaign said that an advert Romney recorded endorsing Mourdock’s Senate bid would not be pulled, the report added.
(ANI)
First Published: Thursday, October 25, 2012, 16:17