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Keller @ Large: Brown Reassures Voters Of His Support For Abortion Rights

BOSTON (CBS) – Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown is not shy about criticizing Congressman Todd Akin.

Brown was one of the first to call for Akin to bow out of the Missouri Senate race, and he sees the need to reassure female voters of his support for abortion rights.

"They try to have me painted as some kind of different Republican, I am a Scott Brown Republican. The same Republican I was last time," said Brown.

Recently, Senator Brown was talking economic issues with women in Quincy, hoping to blunt a Warren offensive on women's issues that manifest in one of her new campaign radio ads.

"If Republicans control the Senate, they decide who sits on the Supreme Court and whether we could lose Roe v. Wade. For women there's a real choice in this election," said Warren in the recent campaign ad.

Brown's wife, Gail Huff, says "Scott is pro-choice, he has been forever."

Brown himself denounced his party's opposition to abortion in all cases.

WBZ's Jon Keller asked if Brown would promise that he would never vote in the Senate to curb women's reproductive rights.

"I have a long record on this already. Yeah, I'll promise that. I've already been on record on that," said Brown.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens spoke with Gail Huff

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As Brown defended himself, his supporters also made it clear they think the alleged war-on-women is a red herring.

"People need jobs. The cost of food is going up, the cost of gas is going up. I don't hear women wandering around obsessing about free birth control," said Jennifer Logue of Marshfield.

"This election is about the economic issues affecting people in Massachusetts," said Brown.

Brown revealed Wednesday that he turned down an invitation to speak at next week's GOP Convention, and will only be there for one day to hear Mitt Romney accept the nomination one week from tomorrow.

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