Senate candidate sparks abortion controversy The issue of abortion returned to centre stage in the US election campaign on Tuesday night after a Republican candidate for the Senate, who is backed by presidential nominee Mitt Romney, said he opposed abortion in cases of rape because "God intended" the pregnancy. The remark by Richard Mourdock, the Republican Senate candidate in Indiana, revived a heated controversy that first emerged in August, when another Republican Senate candidate, Todd Akin of Missouri, suggested women had the physical ability to avoid pregnancy in cases of "legitimate rape." The national Republican party was quick to distance itself from Mr Akin at the time, but the situation is more complicated for Republicans when it comes to Mr Mourdock, with just two weeks left until the presidential and congressional elections. The comments come at a particularly sensitive time for Mr Romney, who sought to soften his position on abortion a few weeks ago - part of a broader effort to adopt more moderate policy positions - when he told a newspaper editorial board that he would not pursue an anti-abortion agenda if he was elected. Within hours of the interview being published, his campaign backtracked, saying he would be a "pro-life" president and support legislation that curbed abortion rights. Just this week, Mr Romney appeared in a new ad that strongly endorses Mr Mourdock. In it, he called the Indiana Republican the potential "51st vote" in the Senate that would help repeal President Barack Obama's 2010 healthcare law. Asked to comment, a spokeswoman for the former Massachusetts governor told the FT: "Governor Romney disagrees with Richard Mourdock's comments, and they do not reflect his views." Mr Romney supports abortion rights in cases of rape and incest and if the life of the mother is at risk. In a debate in Indiana on Thursday night, Mr Mourdock was asked whether he supported abortion in the case of rape or incest. His responded by saying: "I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realise that life is that gift from God . . . Even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen. After the debate, Mr Mourdock released a statement seeking to clarify his remark. The statement said: "God creates life, and that was my point. God does not want rape, and by no means was I suggesting that He [sic] does. Rape is a horrible thing, and for anyone to twist my words otherwise is absurd and sick. The comment quickly caught the attention of the Obama campaign. David Axelrod, the president's top campaign adviser, said in a tweet: "Mitt's man Mourdock apes Akin in Indiana debate, reflecting a GOP that is way out of mainstream." A Democratic activist group, American Bridge, released an internet advertisement within hours of the statement that linked Mr Romney to Mr Mourdock's comments.