Republican denies abortion comments

A US republican has denied reports claiming he said disabled children were a punishment from God...

A US republican has denied reports claiming he said disabled children were a punishment from God.

Robert G, Marshall, for Virginia, told the House of Delegates that he did not say women who have abortions run the risk of birth defects in later pregnancies as a punishment from God and had never had such thoughts.

The Prince William Republican said the words "never came from his mouth, never have been in my heart and have never been in my public record".

It comes as there are calls from disabled rights groups for him to resign over the alleged remarks at a news conference last week.

Mr Marshall said the notion he had said such remarks had been "repeated endless times in print and in the electronic media without anyone producing the smoking-gun tape."

The Republican said if some wanted to make their own inferences, that was their choice.

But he said it was no one's prerogative to claim he spoke words "which never came from my mouth, have never been in my heart and have never been in my public record."

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