US Senator Rick Santorum, who made the headlines for comparing homosexuality to bigamy, polygamy, adultery, and incest, has said that he would advise his children to resist any homosexual "temptations" when asked what he would do if one of his six children told him of homosexual urges.

The interview, which has been published in the latest issue of GQ magazine, focused largely on comments Santorum made to the Associated Press in April, when he said he had "no problem with homosexuality - I have a problem with homosexual acts" and compared homosexuality to bigamy, polygamy, incest and adultery. His remarks were made in reference to the Texas case which the US Supreme Court has on 26 June ruled that the law banning sodomy was unconstitutional.

The Pennsylvania Republican said: "I would treat it like I would any other thing my child comes to me with. Try to deal with it in a loving, supportive way."

He continued: "You try to point out to them what is the right thing to do. And we have many temptations to do things we shouldn't do. That doesn't mean we have to give in to those temptations. I have temptations, as we all do, all the time, to do things we shouldn't do.

"Whether we have that disposition because of environmental factors, genetic factors, whatever, it doesn't mean you have to submit. We are people of free will and free choices."

Although he had come under heavy fire from gay rights groups, Democrats and some Republicans for his remarks, the third-ranking Republican has largely survived the incident and is widely viewed as laying the groundwork to pursue the post of Senate majority leader as early as 2006, according to the Associated Press.