Former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman, who has become a top surrogate on the campaign trail for Mitt Romney, has been telling Ohio crowds that a Romney presidency won't end Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that made abortion legal, MinnPost reports.

Here's what Coleman told a Republican Jewish Coalition meeting in Beechwood, Ohio, on Monday, Talking Points Memo reported:

“President Bush was president eight years, Roe v. Wade wasn’t reversed. He had two Supreme Court picks, Roe v. Wade wasn’t reversed. It’s not going to be reversed.”

That seems to contradict Romney's stated goals, and suggests that Coleman was trying to downplay Romney's stance to a more socially liberal audience, TPM says.

On Romney's website, it's clear the candidate would like the Supreme Court to overturn Roe so that "states will be empowered through the democratic process to determine their own abortion laws." Supreme Court observers note that it's likely the next president would appoint at least one justice in the next four years.

When asked by the Associated Press to clarify what he meant, Coleman on Tuesday said he was speaking for himself, and not on behalf of Romney.

Here's the clip of Coleman, courtesy of Feature Story News: