Posted on 01/31/2008 11:37:43 AM PST by AFA-Michigan
BOSTON -– In a shocking turn-around, Massachusetts’s governor Mitt Romney announced yesterday that Roman Catholic and other private hospitals in the state will be forced to offer emergency contraception to sexual assault victims under new state legislation, regardless of the hospitals’ moral position on the issue.
The Republican governor had earlier defended the right of hospitals to avoid dispensing the “morning-after pill” on the grounds of moral dissent. The Boston Globe reported that Romney’s flip on the issue came after his legal counsel, Mark D. Nielsen, concluded Wednesday that the new law supersedes a preexisting statute related to the abortifacient pill.
The pill, a high dose of hormones, acts as an abortifacient by preventing a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterine wall, thereby causing the death of the child.
The Department of Public Health issued a statement earlier in the week allowing hospitals to dissent from the new law, under a previous statute that protects private hospitals from being forced to provide abortion services or contraceptives.
Daniel Avila, associate director for policy and research for the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, said yesterday in an interview with the Boston Globe that Catholic hospitals still have legal grounds to avoid providing the pill, despite the new legislation. The new bill did not expressly repeal the original law protecting the rights of Catholic facilities.
“As long as that statute was left standing, I think those who want to rely on that statute for protection for what they’re doing have legal grounds.” (Boston Globe)
The Conference has been fighting this new legislation for several years. In 2003, in a statement to the Joint Committee on Health Care, they outlined their concern over the proposed Emergency Contraception Access Act (ECAA), stating: “It will force Catholic medical personnel to distribute contraceptives even in cases involving the risk of early abortion. It also furthers a national strategy ultimately directed towards coercing Catholic facilities to provide insurance coverage for, and to perform, abortions.”
The governor’s turnaround is especially unexpected since Romney has been presenting himself as a conservative on social issues in anticipation of a possible run for the presidency in 2008. This decision will certainly undermine the credibility of his conservatism with Republican Party members that may have been inclined to support him up to now.
Sure there were uncounted deaths, but he was only following orders.
JONRICK: “What do we expect from a liberal Massachusetts legislature...”
Did the Mass Legislature force Romney to sign the bill into law?
Did they force him to announce that Catholic hospitals were exempt earlier in the week?
Did they force him to embarrass himself later in the week by doing yet another 180?
Hmmm, being as that describes most politicians (and at this point, all those running for President), they must be in welfare lines.
Well, no lines actually.
They just get paid by the same fund as welfare recipients, our taxes.
One thing that all you non-Gay Staters need to understand about Massachusetts during Romney’s tenure as Governor is that both houses of our State Legislature have been 90% RAT controlled for years now.While governor Romney did’nt have a lick of power....the state was run by the RAT legislature
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He had feet, didnt he ????
He could have walked away at anytime...
What does this thread have to do with stopping McCain’s Amnesty process?
Given the title of this thread, why would you expect it would?
That’s a great question, and I don’t know, hope someone else has that info.
I do know that the “father” of the pro-life movement, Dr. John Willke, endorsed Romney.
Dr. John Willke, a Founder of the Pro-Life Movement Nationally and Internationally, Served for 10 Years as President of The National Right To Life Committee and Helped Found the Organization:
“Unlike other candidates who only speak to the importance of confronting the major social issues of the day, Governor Romney has a record of action in defending life. Every decision he made as Governor was on the side of life. I know he will be the strong pro-life President we need in the White House. Governor Romney is the only candidate who can lead our pro-life and pro-family conservative movement to victory in 2008.”
So, it's your conservative opinion that true conservatives should violate the law in an effort to stop abortions?
Do you follow that advice?
Ask me when I’m governor.
Did you read the part that says there was a veto-proof majority for thsat bill ?
Seems to me you’re quibbling over nothing.
As far as I understand it, they were two different laws, same month.
Oh, I see. Your self-righteous standard only applies to others.
Get back to me when you're on your way to violating the law in a vain attempt to stop some abortions, then you can judge Governor Romney for failing to live up to your example.
Until then, the murders of thousands of innocent children will weigh on your conscience while you do nothing. After all, you're just following orders.
So he followed the law. You guys are making me sick with your anti abortion crap. yes crap. I don’t like abortion either but what the hell, you act like romney ripped 1000000 babies out of mamas for fun.
BTW ......DID THEY TAKE HIM TO COURT AND GET IT OVERTURNED??????????????????????????????????????
You guys have lost common sense and you don’t help a thing.
That's the moral example of Slick Willard....that and the Good German defense.
Until then, the murders of thousands of innocent children will weigh on your conscience while you do nothing.
That is a truly idiotic reply. I've played no affirmative role in making that happen, nor have I sought out leadership roles pretending to be pro-life (I actually AM pro-life).
Ahh, but the Romney Sleaze Machine has always been about trying to pull pro-lifers down into his pro-abortion gutter, starting with Ronald Reagan.
How revealing.
I don’t like abortion either...
What a powerful pro-life confession!
Typical attitude of a Romney supporter.
After all, what do the lives -- the killings -- of 30 million children mean compared to Mitt's personal quest for power?
Why shocking? The governor does not have the right to override legislation passed by the state legislature, does he?
No.
The Romney campaign has correctly pointed out that Reagan was also a convert to the pro-life side.
Why would pro-lifers work so hard to convert pro-choicers to the right side of the issue, only to label them as "flip-floppers" for doing so?
Aren't you trying to get pro-choice politicians to change to pro-life?
What's the waiting period between their conversion and the time when that conversion is accepted?
Please site the Massachusetts state law that allows the governor to override a law passed by the state legislature. If you cannot do that, and if you are a person of good character, you will retract this statement. (The article clearly states he supported the right of the hospitals to follow their own moral code.)
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