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Rep. Tim Murphy Will Be Out Of Congress Sooner Than Originally Planned

Rep. Tim Murphy, an anti-abortion congressman who reportedly asked the woman he had an affair with to get an abortion, says he's seeking help.
Posted at 3:50 PM, Oct 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-07 15:50:16-04

The anti-abortion congressman who reportedly asked the woman he had an affair with to get an abortion will resign from Congress this month.

Rep. Tim Murphy announced Wednesday he would retire at the end of his term in 2018 amid criticism over alleged text messages he sent to the woman.

A day later, Murphy told Speaker of the House Paul Ryan he would resign effective Oct. 21.

"I think it's appropriate that he moves on to the next chapter of his life, and I think he agrees with that," Ryan said at a press conference.

Murphy admitted in September to having an affair with "a personal friend," according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The outlet also published messages between Murphy and the woman, Shannon Edwards.

The Post-Gazette says Edwards texted Murphy in January, "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."

Murphy reportedly responded, "I get what you say about my March for life messages," and told her those messages were written by his staff and that he would write them going foward.

In his original retirement announcement, Murphy said he's taking time in the coming weeks to seek help and asked for privacy for him and his family.