Pro-life groups criticize Rep. Joe Donnelly

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) Rebecca Kiessling said she learned when she was 18 that was conceived from an incident of rape.

"I was almost aborted," said Kiessling. "But I was legally protected in Michigan and so I owe my life to the law being there for me."

Kiessling works with Indiana Right to Life . She said she thought Mourdock's words about rape were twisted out of context.

"Really, I believe that these people are crying wolf; they're making hey out of nothing," said Kiessling. "He never said that rape is god's intention, he was saying that a life is designed by god."

Kiessling told WANE she spoke to Mourdock on the phone on Wednesday morning to express her support for him and to tell him "that's he's really a hero to children like me."

Rebecca Kiessling shares her story and her fight for "right-to-life" on her web site .

Another pro-life group called the Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) sent out a release on Wednesday expressing support of Mourdock and criticizing Donnelly.

The president of the SBA List, Marjorie Dannenfelser, released this statement:

Richard Mourdock said that life is always a gift from God, and we couldn’t agree more. To report his statement as an endorsement of rape is either willfully ignorant or malicious. Congressman Donnelly should not underestimate our ability to understand Mourdock’s meaning.  During the same debate, the Congressman once again claimed that he was a pro-life candidate. Actions speak louder than words, and Joe Donnelly’s vote forcing taxpayers to pay for abortions under Obamacare is all Hoosiers need to know about where Joe Donnelly really stands.

The Women's Bureau also weighed-in on Mourdock's remarks.

"We think it's very hard to pass judgment if they haven't experienced this themselves or through their loved ones," Louise Jackson, the organization's CEO, said.  "You need to be very careful what you say until you walk in somebody's shoes."