Pro-Life/Pro-Baby ping!
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Posted on 02/02/2007 2:18:19 PM PST by Recovering_Democrat
"For decades, pro-life activists have been in the business of winning hearts and minds to their cause. Powerful arguments about the humanity of the unborn have moved public opinion, and a pro-life political force has made ambitious politicians feel the heat, whether or not they see the light. Pro-lifers' faith in the power of persuasion has been rewarded, and their political clout increased, by important converts, including Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. Mitt Romney has also changed his position on abortion, but some social conservatives argue that membership in their ranks should be closed to this most recent convert with presidential ambitions.
"In 1967, Gov. Ronald Reagan signed a liberal abortion law, declaring, 'I'm fully sympathetic with attempts to liberalize the outdated abortion law now on the books in California.' Reagan later changed his mind and expressed regret for signing a measure that saw more abortions performed in California than in any other state before Roe v. Wade. He became a committed pro-life politician and backed the first pro-life plank in the Republican platform. George W. Bush ran as a pro-choice politician in his 1978 congressional campaign, but held pro-life views when he ran for the governorship of Texas in 1994. His father too once favored abortion rights, but took a pro-life position in the 1980 presidential campaign.
"When Sam Brownback was running in a GOP congressional primary in 1994, he initially rebuffed a pro-life group's endorsement, according to a recent account in The New Republic. In that article, a former president of Kansans for Life recalls that Brownback was 'unfamiliar with the anti-abortion lexicon' 20 years after Roe v. Wade, and that Brownback described himself as 'more in line with the view of Nancy Kassebaum,' the state's pro-choice junior GOP senator.
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"During his gubernatorial campaign, [Mitt Romney] won the endorsement of the abortion-rights group Republican Majority for Choice. But three years later, the group's co-chairman declared, 'We feel very betrayed.' The reason was that Governor Romney had vetoed a bill that would have allowed access to emergency contraception – the 'morning-after pill' – without a prescription. Romney had also vetoed an embryonic-stem-cell-research bill; and last year his administration issued regulations banning the creation of embryos for research purposes, calling such research 'Orwellian in its scope.'
"In an opinion article that appeared in the Boston Globe, Romney defended his veto of the emergency-contraception bill. He explained, 'The bill does not involve only the prevention of conception: The drug it authorizes would also terminate life after conception.' He faulted the bill for not requiring parental consent before allowing minors access to the pill. And he wrote, 'I understand that my views on laws governing abortion set me in the minority in our Commonwealth. I am pro-life. I believe that abortion is the wrong choice except in cases of incest, rape, and to save the life of the mother.'
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"Romney has been stating his abortion position with the conviction of a convert, in terms that can appeal to a broad audience. Many social conservatives are persuaded that his conversion is genuine."
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I had wavered a bit after seeing his liberal social stances in some video clips where he debated The Swimmer...but he may indeed be someone who changed his mind about the issue.
Good to know. I think I'll keep Mitt on my short list of candidates.
Thanks for the link. :)
Please FReepmail me if you would like to be added to, or removed from, the Pro-Life/Pro-Baby ping list...
Romney's problem is that his conversion is very recent...but if it's him, Rudy or McCain I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
Bump.
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The link in #12 is written by a horrible source.
Here is where evangelicals debunk it:
http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/massresistance/therealtruth.pdf
I'd vote for Romney. Right now he's number 2 behind Hunter for moi!
All I see is a difference in opinion about whether Mitt's pro-choice rhetoric in 1994 is a fair evaluation of how he truly feels about the issue. And it's quite reasonable to interrogate the sincerity of a conservative ephiphany that coincides with a run for a new office.
Well, you could look beyond that 13 yr old rhetoric, and see how he actually governed.
For example, Romney vetoed a bill providing access to the "morning after" pill, not exactly a pro-choice position.
FYI, I don't have a candidate yet, and I'm not saying hard questions shouldn't be asked of any candidate, but to have someone post a link to a Massachusetts Moonbat like Brian Camenker cannot go unanswered.
The problem is, was Romney's conversion heartfelt? Or does he just put on a different jacket for the office he's seeking?
From the article: "During his gubernatorial campaign, [Mitt Romney] won the endorsement of the abortion-rights group Republican Majority for Choice. But three years later, the group's co-chairman declared, 'We feel very betrayed.' The reason was that Governor Romney had vetoed a bill that would have allowed access to emergency contraception – the 'morning-after pill' – without a prescription. Romney had also vetoed an embryonic-stem-cell-research bill; and last year his administration issued regulations banning the creation of embryos for research purposes, calling such research 'Orwellian in its scope.'
I think in this area, Romney has a clear advantage over Rudy. At least he understands the need to reach out to the right. All I hear from the Rudyboosters is that pro-life issues are irrelevant this year and they don't need us anyway. Not a very smart strategy to win the White House. But pride always goeth before the fall.
Gee, I thought pro-lifers were supposed to cheer on someone who converted to their (our) position.
So Romney converts and is immediately criticized for it by the holier-than-thou conservatives.
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