ST. PAUL -- Democrat Al Franken's past work again complicated his present bid to become a U.S. senator, when Republicans on Thursday circulated 13-year-old quotes of him joking about rape while co-writing a skit for "Saturday Night Live."

While Franken has tried to draw a sharp line between his comedic endeavors and his Senate aspirations, he's taking heat from across the political spectrum over old material.

Several Democratic members of Congress criticized Franken over a racy fantasy article he wrote eight years ago for Playboy magazine. The Minnesota political arm of Planned Parenthood said in an e-mail to its supporters that it would have trouble backing him as the race goes forward.

Franken's campaign, just days away from the state Democratic endorsing convention, has defended the Playboy piece as satire. After an Associated Press reporter read him an excerpt from a New York magazine article about the SNL writing session containing the rape comments, Franken said he didn't immediately recall the article and said, "That doesn't sound like me." But he said he wanted to read the article before commenting further.

Later, Franken issued a statement saying: "I'm proud of my career as a satirist, which doesn't mean every joke I've ever told was funny, or, indeed, appropriate. I understand and regret that people have been legitimately offended by some of the things I've written.

"In real life, though, I've been married for 32 years. Franni and I are proud of our son and daughter. I respect women in both my personal and professional life. And I will work incredibly hard to represent them in the Senate -- something (GOP incumbent) Norm Coleman hasn't been doing for the last six years."

In the 1995 New York magazine profile of "Saturday Night Live," Franken is described among a group of show writers sounding out a spoof of Andy Rooney centered on a sedative pill bottle found in the "60 Minutes" essayist's desk. Franken and fellow writers Norm MacDonald and Jim Downey kick around fictional Rooney responses to the discovery of the bottle.

The article quotes Franken putting an edgy twist on the discussion: "And 'I give the pills to Lesley Stahl. Then when Lesley's passed out, I take her to the closet and rape her.' Or `That's why you never see Lesley until February.' Or, `When she passes out I put her in various positions and take pictures of her."

MacDonald takes it a step further, suggesting that the Rooney rape comment be directed at other "60 Minutes" icons Mike Wallace and Ed Bradley. Franken chimes in: "What about `I drag Mike into my office and rape him. Right here! I guess that makes me bad."'

The skit never saw air after the final product got weak laughs in dress rehearsal, the magazine article said.

Nonetheless, Republican state Rep. Laura Brod said the quotes combined with the Playboy piece shows "a pattern of behavior which is not suitable for a U.S. senator."

"Rape, a joke. Just think about it. Rape is not a punchline and it certainly is not funny," Brod said, adding, "To thousands of women in this nation who are raped and sexually assaulted, the prospect that a man making a living joking about these things would be a U.S. senator is absolutely horrifying."

It could come into play this weekend when Democrats decide who to endorse as a challenger to Coleman. Franken is considered the front-runner in a Democratic race that also features college professor Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer and frequent candidates Darryl Stanton and Dick Franson.

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, a Democrat who backed trial attorney Mike Ciresi before he suspended his campaign, seized on the Planned Parenthood reservations and the 1995 magazine article in a statement critical of Franken.

"Planned Parenthood understands that Minnesotans evaluate our political candidates based on their record, values and character," McCollum said. "It is appalling that anyone could characterize rape, a violent and horrible crime, as a joke."

Republican Party spokesman Mark Drake acknowledged that the article has been in party hands for some time, but was held back until now. He wouldn't say what other material the party has in the pipeline.

In a letter to New York magazine published a month after the 1995 article, Franken criticizes the writer for a portrayal of female show staffers that Franken found demeaning; he makes no mention of the quotes attributed to him.

Franken's campaign spokeswoman, Jess McIntosh, responded to distribution of the article by going after Coleman.

"Norm Coleman voted against funding for the Violence Against Women Act," she said. "He ought to be ashamed."

Coleman communications director Erin Rath said Franken's campaign was citing a procedural vote and said the senator eventually voted to add more money to the program.

Coleman issued a statement late Thursday night saying that while Franken was making a career out of "degrading and humiliating jokes," he was prosecuting rapists in the Minnesota attorney general's office, working with advocates for battered women as St. Paul's mayor, and earning support in the Senate from advocates of rape and incest victims.

"Al Franken is not living in the real world if he thinks the hurt he has caused real people throughout his career with jokes about rape and pornography isn't cause for real concern among real Minnesotans," Coleman said.

In response to concerns raised by women over the Playboy article, the Franken campaign distributed a statement in his defense from Shannon Drury, president of Minnesota's chapter of the National Organization of Women.

"Now its content is being used as an excuse to label him a misogynist. Nothing could be further from the truth," Drury wrote Tuesday. "In fact, Al Franken will be a senator who will work tirelessly in support of women's issues. After meeting with Al personally, I find his honesty and openness refreshing, his intelligence and perseverance inspiring."