Richard Mourdock says rape comments were ‘twisted’

Indiana Senate hopeful Richard Mourdock has offered a partial apology for his remarks Tuesday night that pregnancy from rape is “something that God intended to happen,” after sparking a firestorm akin to Missouri Republican Todd Akin’s earlier this year.

“I don’t think God wants rape. I don’t think he wants that at all because rape is evil,” he said during a news conference Wednesday.

“So many people mistook, twisted, came to misunderstand the points that I was trying to make,” Mourdock added.

“If in any way people came away with the wrong meaning, I apologize,” he said, but the Republican candidate remained adamant that to stay true to his faith, he cannot completely apologize for the intended significance of his remarks.

The controversy stemmed from Tuesday’s debate against Democratic rival Rep. Joe Donnelly, when Mourdock was asked whether abortion should be allowed after instances of incest and rape.

“I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize that life is that 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,” Mourdock responded.

Mourdock’s comments have already caused a scheduled appearance by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) to be canceled, and a statement from Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign that his comments “do not reflect” those of the Republican presidential candidate.

“I understand that he (Romney) sees on this issue a slight difference,” Mourdock said Wednesday.

Amid the critiques, Mourdock persisted that not everyone took offense to his comments.

“I had people calling saying ‘Great job, you explained it perfectly,’” he said, though if Akin’s recent performance in the polls are any indication, those calls may not persist.

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