Republican Rep. Phil Gingrey of Georgia said Monday that he was wrong to defend Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin’s remarks about “legitimate rape.”

“Rape is rape,” he told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. “If it’s rape, it’s legitimate. I certainly regret very much weighing in on that issue, which was something that was already pretty much roundly condemned and criticized. I felt so badly about it, because my profession is treating women.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Gingrey, an obstetrician, said it was “stupid” of him to suggest that Akin was correct when he claimed it was unlikely that rape would result in pregnancy. The Republican congressman said that after researching the issue, it was clear Akin was wrong.

“Whereas Todd said the panic would cause a body to shut down and prevent ovulation, more recent data suggests just the opposite is probably true,” Gingrey explained.

Gingrey is expected to run for the U.S. Senate.