Republican presidential candidates Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson had different responses on Sunday on whether anti-abortion rhetoric had a hand in Friday's shooting rampage at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado.
Fiorina, perhaps the most outspoken 2016 Republican candidate on the issue of abortion, refuted the idea that anti-abortion sentiment in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail over recent months had laid the groundwork for Friday's events. To link the two was ``typical left-wing tactics,'' she said.
"This is a tragedy. It's obviously a tragedy. Nothing justifies this," Fiorina said, appearing on "Fox News Sunday.''
"This is so typical of the left to immediately demonize the opposition,'' Fiorina added.
One of the most high-profile moments of the Fiorina's campaign came in September's Republican debate, when she took an impassioned stance against Planned Parenthood. The agency, which performs abortions and provides other services, has been under scrutiny over videos purportedly showing that it was involved in selling fetal organs and tissue for profit. It has denied those allegations.
Carson, who opposes abortions, nonetheless called for an overall toning down of rhetoric on CBS's "Face the Nation'' and two other morning talk show appearances.
"No question the hateful rhetoric exacerbates the situation. And we should be doing all we can to engage in intelligent, civil discussion about our differences. That's how we solve problems. We don't ever solve them with hateful rhetoric," said Carson, a retired neurosurgeon.
``Hateful rhetoric and terrorist-type activities are horrible, no matter from where they emanate. And we should all condemn them at all times,'' Carson said on NBC News' ``Meet the Press.'' ``Let's stop trying to destroy each other.''
The man who allegedly staged the attack in Colorado Springs, killing three people including a police officer with a high powered rifle during an hours-long standoff, said ``no more body parts'' after his arrest, according to an NBC News report. The women's health provider has termed the shootings domestic terrorism.
Asked whether the Planned Parenthood attack should be considered an act of terrorism fed by extremist language, Representative Michael McCaul of Texas said the actions of suspected shooter Robert Lewis Dear were part of a ``mental health crisis.''
``I don't think it it would fall under quite the definition of domestic terrorism, although I'll leave that to the Justice Department to make that determination,'' said McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said on ABC's ``This Week.''
Real estate mogul Donald Trump, front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, said that investigators haven't confirmed a motive for Friday's shooting, although the suspect is reported to have had mental health problems. There's a lot of ``anxiety and dislike'' for Planned Parenthood at campaign rallies, Trump added in an interview on NBC.
On Saturday, President Barack Obama issued a statement on the shooting, saying ``This is not normal. We can't let it become normal.''
``We have to do something about the easy accessibility of weapons of war on our streets to people who have no business wielding them,'' said Obama. ``Period. Enough is enough.''