Pro-life groups are expressing concern after Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson told reporters this weekend that both sides of the abortion issue use hateful language and need to tone it down.

Carson had been asked by CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday about a Tweet from Planned Parenthood that stated that Friday’s shooting in Colorado was caused by “hateful rhetoric” against abortion.

“The increase in hateful rhetoric and smear campaigns against abortion providers and patients creates an environment [that] breeds acts of violence,” the abortion giant wrote on Twitter yesterday.

“There is no question that you know hateful rhetoric no matter which side it comes from—right or left—is something that is detrimental to our society,” Carson replied when asked what his view is on whether “rhetoric” has led to violence at abortion facilities.

“Our strength in this country has traditionally been in our unity, and we are allowing all kinds of circumstances to divide us and make us hateful toward each other,” he continued. “And the rhetoric is extremely immature, divisive and is not helpful when you have outside forces—global Islamic radical jihadists who want to destroy us.”

A number of pro-life groups are now expressing concern about Carson’s statements, stating that he seemed to agree with Planned Parenthood in his remarks.

“Did Carson take his talking points from Planned Parenthood?” asked Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America. “He completely missed the mark, casting suspicion on pro-lifers who had nothing to do with this tragedy and only furthering the deceitful narrative that the abortion industry has already laid out in the media.”

“Compassion and love, not violence, are at the heart of the pro-life movement and motivate us to protect life in its stages and we extend that same love and compassion to the victims and their families of this horrible tragedy,” she said.

Ryan Bombarger, the founder of the Radiance Foundation, made similar statements.

“Pro-abortion activists consider any scientifically, historically, or statistically accurate information about the violence of abortion to be ‘hateful rhetoric,'” he said. “Facts are not hate speech, Dr. Carson. Exposing the inner-workings of Planned Parenthood in an undercover investigation isn’t ‘hateful rhetoric’; it enables illuminating and civil discussion about inhumane barbarity.”

“Division is healthy, especially when it delineates right from wrong,” Bombarger continued. “The pro-life movement strives passionately, and peacefully, to educate the American public about abortion because mainstream media, including Face the Nation and certain presidential candidates, won’t.”

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