Sheriff Candidate: Deadly Force OK to Halt Abortions

A county sheriff candidate in New Hampshire made quite a few waves yesterday when he told WMUR that he would "absolutely" do what it took, including using deadly force, to stop abortions. "If someone is under threat, a full-grown human being, if they're under threat, what should the sheriff do? Everything in their power to prevent them from being harmed," said Frank Szabo. The Republican was talking only about elective and late-term abortions, he explained. "I would hope that it wouldn't come to that, as with any situation where someone is in danger, but … that is an act that needs to be stopped."

Szabo backtracked today, saying in a statement that his "comments about the use of deadly force against abortion doctors" were "unacceptable" and that he apologizes and retracts his words. "I let my passionate stance against abortion get the better of me," he said, adding, "I honestly can’t imagine a situation where I would want to use deadly force." He also walked back other controversial comments, including one in which he said the county sheriff doesn't answer to anyone. He did not, however, address several other parts of the interview, like promising to arrest any doctor performing legal elective abortions or comparing abortion to slavery. Click for the full interview or his retraction. (More Frank Szabo stories.)