Top Republican Senator defends Richard Mourdock, says pregnancy from rape 'is a gift from God'

One day after Mitt Romney released a television ad endorsing Indiana GOP senate candidate Richard Mourdock, Mourdock called pregnancies from rape 'something God intended' American Taliban:

In fact, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, released a statement Wednesday morning supporting Mourdock.

"Richard and I, along with millions of Americans ' including even Joe Donnelly ' believe that life is a gift from God. To try and construe his words as anything other than a restatement of that belief is irresponsible and ridiculous," Cornyn said in the statement.

It's one thing for a woman to make her own decision about what is and is not a gift from God. But it's quite another thing when government officials'especially ones who are biologically ineligible from receiving such "gifts"'take it upon themselves to decide on her behalf not just what God intended and but also whether or not she should be legally required to follow what they believe to be God's plan.

Republicans need to realize that they are entitled to their own religious faith and they are entitled to make their own decisions about how to live their lives according to that faith. But they do not have the right to force their dogma onto the rest of us.