WASHINGTON - A married New York congressman who sent sexually explicit photographs of himself to women he met through social networks said he was entering professional treatment and requested a leave of absence from Congress.

An aide for Anthony Weiner made the disclosure in a statement on Saturday shortly after several Democratic party leaders demanded he resign for exchanging messages and photos ranging from sexually suggestive to explicit with several women online.

"This sordid affair has become an unacceptable distraction for Representative Weiner, his family, his constituents and the House," Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, said in a written statement calling for the 46-year-old married lawmaker to step down.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Weiner "has the love of his family, the confidence of his constituents and the recognition that he needs help. I urge Congressman Weiner to seek that help without the pressures of being a member of Congress".

Aides said later that Pelosi had been aware of Weiner's plan to enter treatment when she issued her statement, and her call for his resignation had not changed because of it.

The scandal has dominated the news and distracted attention from efforts by President Barack Obama's Democrats to slam Republicans for proposing deep cuts to Medicare, a popular healthcare program for the elderly.

Weiner's spokeswoman, Risa Heller, said in the statement that the congressman departed during the morning "to seek professional treatment to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person. In light of that, he will request a short leave of absence from the House of Representatives so that he can get evaluated and map out a course of treatment to make himself well."

The statement did not say where he would receive treatment, or what type was involved. Others familiar with his plans said he had left New York by air.

Also joining in calls for Weiner to quit was New York Democratic Representative Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and a member of the party's leadership.

In an interview, Israel said he had told Weiner in a phone call during the day "that I was going to call on him to resign and he absorbed that. Obviously he had much more personal and pressing issues that he was addressing".

"He didn't give me any indication of whether he was going to resign or not," Israel said.

Pelosi, the former House Speaker, also spoke with Weiner during the day to let him know that she, too, would be joining the calls for his resignation.

The developments occurred one day after Weiner acknowledged he had exchanged online messages with a 17-year-old girl in the state of Delaware. He said nothing improper had passed between the two of them.

Nor was there even an allegation that Weiner had a physical relationship with any of the women with whom he maintained virtual relationships. That made his case a departure from the norm, a sex scandal without sex, a phenomenon of the age of Facebook, Twitter and other social media.

Associated Press