DENVER -- A Colorado Springs lawmaker referred Wednesday to unmarried, pregnant teenagers and the teen fathers as "sluts" who should be made to feel ashamed for their lack of morals.

Rep. Larry Liston's remarks were made during a discussion with health care professionals at a Republican legislative caucus lunch about Colorado's high teen pregnancy rate.

"In my parents' day and age, (unmarried teen parents) were sent away, they were shunned, they were called what they are," Colorado Springs Republican Rep. Larry Liston said during the meeting in Denver. "There was at least a sense of shame."

"I think it's wrong. They're sluts. And I don't mean just the women. I mean the men, too," Liston added.

He apologized Thursday afternoon, after much media coverage.

"The derogatory term I used was offensive and inappropriate and I would like to apologize for using it," he said in a news release. "Because of my unfortunate choice of language, the message that I was trying to get across about personal responsibility, and parental responsibility, has been overshadowed. I certainly regret using the term I did."

Rep. Stella Garza Hicks, who was at the meeting, said she was "disturbed" and "offended" by the word but didn't confront Liston at the time because she was so surprised to hear him use it.

Liston told the newpaper later he could have chosen his words better but believes many people feel the way he does.

He said he wanted to make the point that teens who can't afford to take care of children can have them anyway and expect the government to pay for it. He said that often traps the parents and their children in a cycle of poverty without enough education.

Lorez Meinhold of the Colorado Health Foundation said shame has been shown have little impact on values and behavior. She said state leaders should focus instead on the scarcity of programs aimed at preventing teen pregnancy.

Garza Hicks, R-Colorado Springs, said the state needs more prevention programs through schools and community groups, but she said the public must decide whether it wants to fund them.

"Sometimes it takes just a little more information, a little more education," Garza Hicks said. "And we must not give up on them either."