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Article snippet: WASHINGTON — Representative Tim Murphy, an outspoken abortion opponent embattled by allegations that he encouraged his lover to terminate a pregnancy, announced Thursday that he would step down from his House seat this month. Speaker Paul D. Ryan said on Thursday afternoon that Mr. Murphy, a Republican who has represented his conservative Pennsylvania district since 2003, had sent him a letter of resignation, effective Oct. 21. “It was Dr. Murphy’s decision to move on to the next chapter of his life, and I support it,” Mr. Ryan said in a statement. “We thank him for his many years of tireless work on mental health issues here in Congress and his service to the country as a naval reserve officer.” Less than 24 hours earlier, Mr. Murphy, 65, had announced that he would not seek re-election but would serve out his term. But he has faced an intensifying backlash over reports from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he encouraged the woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair to have an abortion during an unfounded pregnancy scare. Officials said that within two weeks of Mr. Murphy’s departure from office, Gov. Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania is likely to set a date for a special election, which could take place as soon as January. It is unclear how aggressively Democrats will compete, given that President Trump carried the district, which is in western Pennsylvania and includes parts of Pittsburgh, by about 20 points in the 2016 presidential election. Meredith Kelly,... Link to the full article to read more