As the days tick closer to Election Day, the GOP and Mitt Romney's campaign find themselves fending off new criticism after one of their own, Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock, recently said during a debate that children born of rape were essentially an act of God.
Mourdock, the state treasurer of Indiana since 2007, is running for U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Joe Donnelly and Libertarian Andrew Horning.
A pro-life candidate, as are his other opponents, Mourdock was caught in a firestorm of controversy since he made comments on his position on abortion during a debate aired on PBS.
Both Donnelly and Horning only oppose abortions in cases of rape, incest, and when the mother's life is threatened.
"I believe that life begins at conception," Mourdock said during the debate. "The only exception I have to have an abortion is in that case of the life of the mother. I, I just...I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize life is that gift of God, and even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen."
The comments have since drawn widespread criticism, including comments from President Barack Obama on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno which aired Wednesday.
"I don't know how these guys come up with these ideas," President Obama said on the show, as seen in this clip. "Let me make a very simple proposition-rape is rape. It is a crime. And so, these very distinctions about rape...don't make too much sense to me, don't make any sense to me. The second thing this underscores is, this is exactly why you don't want a bunch of politicians, mostly male, making decisions about women's health care decisions."
While President Obama's comments drew loud applause on the show, the GOP and Romney have been put on the defensive, due to Romney's backing of Mourdock's senatorial campaign in 30 second TV spots, which can be seen here.
"Rape is a horrible crime. It's an unspeakable crime, and I can't believe that my God or any god would ever intend for that to happen to anyone," Sen. Donnelly said in a press conference following the debate this week.
Even GOP members have taken offense to the Indiana U.S. Senate candidate's comment. When former presidential candidate and Arizona Senator John McCain was asked Wednesday night by Anderson Cooper on CNN if he would still support him, McCain said that depended whether Mourdock would apologize.
"I think it depends on what he does," McCain told Cooper, as the Huffington Post reports. "If he apologizes, and says he misspoke and he was wrong and he asks the people to forgive him, then obviously I would be the first [to forgive him.] As I said, I'm not sure how big a mistake that I have made, but in the years that I've been around, I've made a few, Anderson, and I've asked for people's understanding and forgiveness when I've owned up to it. It's when you...don't own up to it that people will not believe in you."
Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul told ABC News this week that Romney "disagrees with Richard Mourdock, and Mr.Mourdock's comments do not reflect Gov. Romney's views." However, ABC News reports, the Romney campaign has no plans to ask him to take down the spot featuring Romney's endorsement.
Since then, Mourdock has tried to explain his comments via a press release and a news conference.
"God creates life, and that was my point. God does not want rape, and by no means was I suggesting that he does," a press statement from Mourdock's office released Wednesday stated. "Rape is a horrible thing, and for anyone to twist my words otherwise is absurd and sick," stated Richard Mourdock.