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N.D. (AP) – U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer is defending comments he made this month linking legalized abortion with school shootings.

The North Dakota Republican during a graduation speech at the University of Mary said, “Forty years ago, the United States Supreme Court sanctioned abortion on demand. And we wonder why our culture sees school shootings so often.”

Cramer has told The Forum and The Bismarck Tribune that his speech was about the erosion of American culture – something he’s talked about for years.

State Democratic Party Director Chad Oban tells the Tribune that a college commencement wasn’t the proper venue for Cramer’s comments, and that Cramer was out of line. Cramer says political correctness now seems more important than political discourse.