Posted on 05/11/2007 3:15:35 PM PDT by Unmarked Package
In all my years in the pro-life movement, I have always believed that our goal was not only to change laws, but to change minds -- and we have changed many minds. Ronald Reagan, Henry Hyde, and countless others who at one point supported abortion rights later came to understand that human life at its very beginning moments must be protected.
We take pride in the work of these individuals, because in their changes of heart, they proved that the mission of the pro-life community is not only sacred, but it is also capable of winning new adherents and allies.
I can think of no better example of this change of heart than Governor Mitt Romney. He has traveled down a path of discovery, and explored the philosophical and scientific basis for the pro-life position. Now, he counts himself among the millions of Americans who oppose abortion on demand and scientific experimentation with human embryos.
I have watched Governor Romney's journey, and I believe he is sincere in his change of heart. But you don't have to trust me on that count; you merely have to look at what Governor Romney said and did on life issues when it counted:
In 2002, during his campaign for governor, he supported Massachusetts' parental notification laws for minor girls seeking abortions; his opponent opposed such notification laws. Thankfully, he won and those parental notification laws remain on Massachusetts' books.
In 2005, Governor Romney vetoed a bill that would have expanded stem cell experiments involving the cloning of human embryos – a practice he called morally wrong. At the time, Romney spoke movingly of the moral issues at work: "It is wrong to allow science to take an assembly line approach to the production of human embryos," he wrote in a letter explaining his veto.
That same year, he vetoed legislation that would have allowed the "morning after pill" to be purchased without a prescription. He also vetoed legislation that would have redefined a human life as an implanted embryo, rather than a fertilized embryo. The legislation would have allowed scientists to experiment freely on fertilized embryos before destroying them -- treating the fertilized embryo as nothing more than what some scientists call a "clump of cells."
In 2006, he announced that the state would sponsor abstinence education programs in its middle schools, the first time Massachusetts agreed to spend federal abstinence education funds on in-school programs.
I am hardly the only pro-lifer to notice that Governor Romney has been a reliable friend of the pro-life community. Prominent pro-life attorney James Bopp Jr. recently wrote that Governor Romney has the "conviction and courage" needed to help America reach a pro-life consensus and adopt pro-life laws. Massachusetts Citizens For Life Executive Director Marie Sturgis said Governor Romney was "one of the strongest assets the pro-life movement has had in Massachusetts."
Time after time, when pressed by a very liberal legislature to approve laws liberalizing the use of abortion and experimentation on embryos, Governor Romney has consistently chosen life. In his constancy, Governor Romney has proven himself a staunch ally in our effort to change hearts and change minds. He has shown that someone leading a state with a liberal electorate can govern as a pro-life leader.
And most importantly, he has shown an understanding of the pro-life movement. We are not a single issue movement. We do not simply seek to end the Roe v. Wade era. We seek to raise America's consciousness of the nature of life at its earliest moments -- fragile, weak, and completely dependent for protection and sustenance.
We will accomplish this goal by supporting leaders such as Governor Romney. He has been an ally in opposing abortion on demand, he has been an ally in opposing scientific experiments on human embryos, and he has been an ally in defending the primacy of the family. With his wife of 38 years, his five sons, and ten grandchildren, he is the living embodiment of what the pro-life movement stands for -- and we should all support his candidacy.
Rep. Pete Hoekstra, a Republican, represents the second district of Michigan
PING!
Isn’t Governor one of those titles a person keeps, even after he or she has left office?
Why do you say that? On the Medved show the day after the debate Duncan Hunter was the only one mentioned by Mitt Romney. He said his answers were good and he learned from him.
I think so. But how often do you hear people refer to Governor Romney by his correct title?
I think he means Romney would not go for the VP slot.
Statistically, Romney or Gilmore (if nothing else is known, being from VA he would be the one) or Huckabee have the best chances. They were Governors. Don’t underestimate Romney’s charisma. He makes Obama look like a 42 year old IL Legislator. If anyone is as disturbed this year as I, blame Cheney... :) Then again, maybe it’s good he’s not running, or we would have President Rodham.
“I think he means Romney would not go for the VP slot.”
Not that I wouldn’t think it a good idea for Romney to be VP, but I can see why it might not be a good fit for him since it appears he more effective when he’s in the leadership role
We agree. I can’t see him in that position either. Of the two, he is the one with the executive experience. : )
Well, not often in these days where everybody seems to use the first name,or the last name,alone — as in :Clinton, “Hillary”, “McCain”, etc. Even small children call their parents & grandparents by their first names, as well as their parents’ friends. But, I do remember etiquette.
Sometimes I do it for the same reason as many posters, because I am typing, for the sake of brevity. But thank you for the reminder about etiquette. : )
No Sale. I will pass on the liberals from the Northeast regardless of their party.
Gov. Romney's credentials of fiscal and social conservatism are equal to or better than other Republican governors outside the Northeast region. I am most familiar with the records of Republican Gov. Rick Perry in Texas and Gov. Romney. Based on their records, Romney would have been a far more popular and conservative governor in Texas than Perry has been.
The conservative movement is in desperate need of an extremely competent, articulate and persuasive President who can bypass the filter of the Democrat Media and nullify the negative stereotypes of Republicans they try to sell to voters. Mitt Romney is the worst nightmare of the liberals in the media in that regard.
Romney is the best rounded and most highly qualified candidate to be CEO of the largest organization on the planet. The position of President of the U.S.A. is not a job for a management intern. In 35 years of voting, I have not seen the equal of Romney's résumé of leadership ability and personal character in a presidential candidate.
We will make a terrible error by selecting a far less qualified nominee based on false assumptions that geography dictates the ideology of a candidate.
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