Republican congressman Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania announced Wednesday night that he will not seek re-election in 2018.
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Murphy's decision not to run for a ninth term came amid revelations of an extramarital affair, in which the anti-abortion lawmaker urged his mistress in text messages to have an abortion when he thought she was pregnant.
"After discussions with my family and staff, I have come to the decision that I will not seek reelection to Congress at the end of my current term," Murphy said in a statement. "I plan to spend my remaining months in office continuing my work as the national leader on mental health care reform, as well as issues affecting working families in southwestern Pennsylvania.
"We have accomplished much in the past year through the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act and there is much work yet to be done.
"In the coming weeks I will take personal time to seek help as my family and I continue to work through our personal difficulties and seek healing. I ask you to respect our privacy during this time."
Murphy's attorney was in an Allegheny County courtroom, where a judge ordered the congressman to give a deposition about his affair with a married woman.
That deposition will be used in divorce proceedings between Dr. Jesse Salley and his wife, Shannon Edwards. Murphy's attorney made a motion to get those proceedings postponed, but the judge denied it. The judge denied the motion.
In court Wednesday, Edwards' attorney admitted Edwards and the congressman had an affair. And according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Edwards became upset earlier this year, calling Murphy a hypocrite because of his pro-life political stance but suggesting she have an abortion.
In a text message she wrote: "And 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 when we thought that was one of the options."
The congressman is expected to give his deposition before Oct. 31, when the divorce proceedings begin.
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