DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Pennsylvania Republican Congressman Tim Murphy says he will not be running for re-election next year. This comes after reports that the anti-abortion congressman had asked his mistress to terminate a pregnancy. Katie Blackley of member station WESA in Pittsburgh reports.
KATIE BLACKLEY, BYLINE: Local newspapers revealed a series of text messages between Murphy and the woman he was having an affair with in which he asked her to abort their unborn child during a pregnancy scare. The woman criticized the GOP congressman in the messages saying he had zero issue talking about his anti-abortion position less than a week after asking her to terminate her pregnancy.
Murphy says in a statement that he'll be taking personal time to seek help. Earlier this week, Murphy voted to ban nearly all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. He's a member of the House Pro-Life Caucus and has consistently advocated against using federal funding for abortion services. In 2010, he told a crowd at the Right to Life Convention in Pittsburgh that he believed every life is important.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TIM MURPHY: Every kid deserves a chance to have a choice at life. Every child deserves a chance to have a choice at life. Every baby deserves a chance to have a choice at life, and every parent should be supported in their responsibility and commitment to raise that child.
BLACKLEY: His affair came to light last month when the woman's divorce proceedings were made public. Although Murphy is not a part of the case, court documents revealed the affair lasted about six months. A practicing psychologist, Murphy is in his eighth term representing southwestern Pennsylvania, which voted for Donald Trump by a 2-3 margin last year.
For NPR News, I'm Katie Blackley. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.