Prime Minister Julia Gillard has distanced herself from Federal Labor candidate Adrian
Schonfelder, who reportedly withdrew his comments that Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's religious views on sex and abortion influenced people to commit suicide.
Mr Schonfelder, a hopeful in the safe Liberal-held Victorian seat of Flinders, had accused Mr Abbott of promoting "wedge issues".
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Mr Abbott's "very strong religious views" on abortion and sex before marriage were "influencing people to take their own lives", he told the Western Port News.
Local Liberal MP Greg Hunt said the comments were deeply offensive and called on Prime Minister Julia Gillard to have Mr Schonfelder disendorsed if he refused to apologise.
The ABC reported on Tuesday that in a statement released through the Labor Party's campaign headquarters, Mr Schonfelder withdrew the comments and apologised for any offence caused.
But Gillard didn't get behind the comments.
"The prime minister does not believe suicide can be attributed to the views of Mr Abbott", the Herald Sun reported a spokesman as saying.
The paper also quoted Liberal frontbencher Greg Hunt as questioning whether the comments were part of a 'grubby official Labor line.'
