‘Pro-life’ GOP congressman who asked his mistress to get an abortion will retire at the end of his term

A “pro-life” GOP Congressman who reportedly asked his former mistress to get an abortion, will retire at the end of his term, the Associated Press reports.

The news follows a report by CBS Pittsburg that Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) was mulling retirement after it came to light he once urged his former lover Shannon Edwards to seek an abortion. Transcripts of text messages between the pair that were shared with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“You have zero issue posting your pro-life stance all over the place when you had no issue asking me to abort our unborn child just last week when we thought that was one of the options,” Edwards wrote to the GOP Congressman after his official Facebook account shared an anti-abortion post.

“I get what you say about my March for life [sic] message,” Murphy replied. “I’ve never written them. Staff does them. I read them and winced. I told staff don’t write any more. I will.”

Murphy admitted to the affair in September, telling the Post-Gazette he alone is responsible for his actions.

“Last year I became involved in an affair with a personal friend,” Murphy said. “This is nobody’s fault but my own, and I offer no excuses. To the extent that there should be any blame in this matter, it falls solely upon me.”

Murphy was previously backed by the pro-life group National Right to Life Committee. On Tuesday, he voted in favor the House’s 20-week abortion—a bill he co-sponsored.

In a statement, National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH) said he was "extremely disappointed in the circumstances" surrounding Murphy's retirement.

Read the full statement, below: