The Hill News

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) backed up Mitt Romney's defense of his response to a question on whether Romney supported Blunt's amendment to limit the Obama administration's contraception rule.

"I heard the question. The question was about as confusing and disjointed as you could be. He quickly clarified that, so..." Blunt (R-Mo.), a Romney backer, said according to The Huffington Post on Thursday.

A day earlier, in an interview with the Ohio News Network, Romney was asked if he had taken a position on the Blunt amendment, which would allow employers to opt out of the Obama administration's rule requiring insurers for certain religious organizations to provide contraceptive coverage to their clients' employees. Romney said he was "not for the bill."
"But look," Romney continued. "the idea of presidential candidates getting into questions about contraception within a relationship between a man and a women, husband and wife, I’m not going there."

The Romney campaign quickly backtracked, saying that Romney was, in fact, a supporter of Blunt's amendment.

“Regarding the Blunt bill, the way the question was asked was confusing. Governor Romney supports the Blunt Bill because he believes in a conscience exemption in health care for religious institutions and people of faith,” Romney spokesperson Andrea Saul said.

In a 51-48 vote on Thursday, the Senate voted to table Blunt's amendment.

Read the ONN interview question and answer from the transcript:

HEATH: "He’s brought contraception into this campaign. The issue of birth control, contraception, Blunt-Rubio is being debated, I believe, later this week. It deals with banning or allowing employers to ban providing female contraception. Have you taken a position on it? He (Santorum) said he was for that, we’ll talk about personhood in a second; but he’s for that, have you taken a position?"

ROMNEY: "I’m not for the bill, but look, the idea of presidential candidates getting into questions about contraception within a ! relationship between a man and a women, husband and wife, I’m not going there."