After his lawyers previously compared gay couples to children, Pennsylvania’s governor offered an arguably worse analogy.

Gov. Tom Corbett distanced himself in August to statements made in a court brief filed by his administration’s legal team as the state fights to block same-sex marriage.

“Had the clerk issued marriage licenses to 12-year-olds in violation of state law, would anyone seriously contend that each 12-year-old … is entitled to a hearing on the validity of his ‘license’?” Corbett’s attorneys asked in the filing.

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A spokesman for Corbett later said the filing was not intended to be a commentary on same-sex marriage or to make disparaging comments about any group.

But Corbett himself offered analogy for gay couples Friday morning during a news broadcast by WHP-TV in Harrisburg.

“A much better analogy would have been brother and sister, don’t you (think)?” Corbett said.

The Republican governor also said he doesn’t believe the pending legal challenge to Pennsylvania’s ban on same-sex marriage belongs in federal court.