DENVER – Republican state Sen. Ellen Roberts of Durango said she misspoke when she recently told a conservative radio host that she has never considered herself to be a pro-choice politician.

The comments came as Roberts is considering a run for U.S. Senate and has repeatedly defined herself as pro-choice.

She offered her remarks Tuesday on the “Dan Caplis Show” on 710 KNUS. Caplis asked whether her self-described pro-choice stance might be positive or negative for her during the election, if she decides to run.

“I’ve never called myself pro-choice as a politician,” Roberts answered, while also stating that she believes women should have a “full array” of choices.

She said: “Making abortion illegal, unfortunately, I don’t think will resolve the issue of unintended pregnancies.”

Still, her response offers fodder to Democrats and pro-choice advocates who have increased attacks on Roberts in recent weeks after The Durango Herald reported that Roberts was seriously considering a challenge to incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet in 2016 for the U.S. Senate seat. With Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman no longer considering the Senate seat, much of the focus has turned to Roberts.

When asked by the Herald about her pro-choice talk show comment, Roberts said she did not offer an accurate answer.

“I would like to correct my statement from the ‘Dan Caplis Show’ in that I spoke in error when I was on the radio show the other day and said I never described myself as pro-choice,” Roberts said.

“I would like it out there that I made a mistake,” she said. “I should not have used that word ‘never,’ and it’s been a continual learning curve to me in terms of how the labels are attached to people.”

Caplis also asked her about U.S. Supreme Court nominations, if she were to be elected, and how that might affect Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion. As a U.S. senator, Roberts would potentially confirm appointments.

“If you became a United States senator, would you vote to confirm a Supreme Court nominee who believes that Roe v. Wade was correctly decided, which of course would then go to your opinion ... whether you believe Roe v. Wade was correctly decided?” Caplis asked.

Roberts deflected, answering: “I’m just thinking about running. That’s an excellent question, one that I’d be happy to try and answer in detail once I decided that I was getting into the race.”

She said: “I’ve always been a strong defender of religious freedom, and I completely defend the right of anybody who says this is against my religion, my faith.”

Roberts clarified her comments Thursday on Roe v. Wade, stating: “It is the decided law of the land, and that is the framework that I work from in trying to respond to issues that come up in the Legislature.

“What I can say with no equivocation is I support abortion being legal under Roe v. Wade. ... I totally get the desire for people who want to pin me down and take words I’ve said in the past and use them against me,” she said.

Roberts’ critics question her pro-choice stance after she supported a fetal-homicide measure that failed this year in the Legislature. Critics of the measure said it was tantamount to so-called “personhood,” or defining a fetus as a person, which they said would have eroded choice, including access to birth control and safe and legal abortions.

Supporters, however, pointed out that the measure would have exempted an act committed by a mother, a medical procedure performed by a doctor and the administration of legal medication, making it applicable only in criminal prosecutions after an unborn child was killed in an attack.

But with Roberts’ most recent reproductive health comments, her critics say there is no doubt that she would not be a pro-choice U.S. Senate candidate, adding that she is trying to pander to the right to survive what is expected to be a crowded GOP primary.

The issue played big in previous election cycles, most recently against Republican Cory Gardner in the state’s U.S. Senate race last year. Despite the attacks, Gardner went on to defeat Democrat Mark Udall. Cathy Alderman, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Votes Colorado, thinks Roberts would have a tougher time next year.

“What we learned this last election is that candidates have been trying to moderate their position on women’s health issues because it’s the only way that they can win a statewide election,” Alderman said. “If you don’t have a clear position, or voters can’t trust your position on these issues, then I think it will be very difficult, especially in Colorado, to gain the support of voters.”

Andrew Zucker, spokesman for the Colorado Democratic Party, piled on, adding: “It seems Ellen Roberts doesn’t know who she is or what she believes and is willing to try and say anything if it means advancing her political career. Ellen Roberts’ shifting positions and refusal to answer basic questions about where she stands makes clear she can’t be trusted, and that isn’t how you run a successful primary campaign or win a general election.”

pmarcus@durangoherald.com