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.
“Look, get real for a second. The President, or a Governor does not make the law. The legislators do”
So all the questions about Taxes and the Border dont really matter at all because its the legislators who make those laws..
“...the Catholic Church just rolled over on the rights of the born.”
And wa-la. That must make Mitt Romney pro-life.
Not.
Why do you think Romney only got a legal opinion saying Catholic hospitals couldn't be exempt ONLY AFTER being criticized by his liberal Lt Gov and the Boston Globe?
If he was trying to follow the law, he would have consulted a lawyer before promising Catholic hospitals they could be exempt. In fact, don't you think it's likely that he did consult his lawyer beforehand and was assured they could be exempt?
Instead, he hid behind his lawyer's new legal opinion - which differed from the legal opinion of the Catholic hospitals' laywers - in order to provide cover for his broken promise and surrender to the liberal media.
You also missed my point.
“The President, and governors too, swears an oath to uphold the law. Mitt has always done his level best to live up to that oath.”
If he will sell you down the river on abortion because hes executive he will sell you down the river on border security and taxes..
Science has provided quantified evidence that most successful fertilization takes place within the first 5 hours after ejaculation. I’d say that makes the morning after a pretty safe bet for conception.
I didn’t disagree with what you said about working to change people’s hearts and minds. What I said was that THIS story is about a law that Romney SIGNED. So, don’t try to hide behind the excuse that he couldn’t do anything about it.
I'm a Fred & Hunter guy, as you know full well from the NC board. Sorry Rudy didn't work out for you. But don't worry, there are always more liberals to support.
It doesn’t sound like Romney had any real say in the matter.
If Romney has really cared, he would have gotten the legal opinion BEFORE he signed the bill into law.
LOL! I didn’t like Rudy AT ALL.
I was a big Fred fan. I’m sorry HE didn’t work out.
Deb: “Didn’t you read your own article?”
Obviously, you didn’t read the article, in which Romney contradicted and overruled his own Health Dept’s previous statement, and in which he contradicted the Massachusetts Catholic Conference.
The result of Romney’s government decision was that Catholic hospitals must dispense the morning after pill by govt edict, and the only way to stop it would be for the hospital and/or Mass Catholic Conference to contest Romney’s order in court.
Whats the bottom line here. We are coming up on super Tuesday, fast and furious. We have to choose between McCain or Romney. Do you want to through Romney under the bus over this? If so, just vote for Hillery. Romney has the right ideas to advance the pro-life agenda. This abortion pill/Catholic church issues is certainly not one of his best decisions, but on balance he is the best man we have to chooses from.
Overruling? How do you "overrule" those who have no authority to "rule"?
Department of Health attorneys? I don't see any mention of "attorneys" in the article. I suspect there weren't any attorneys involved in the DoH statement, which is why they advocated violating the law.
Massachusetts Catholic Conference attorneys? Again, you're making up attorneys out of thin air. I don't see any in the article.
The DoH and Catholic Conference gave their opinions, and Governor Romney, with a law degree of his own, chose to follow the counsel of his attorney, a real one.
That seems prudent to me.
What point, you gave romney an excuse because he was just following the law (a law which he signed) my point is that means all the dems have to do is pressure him and point at laws and he will roll over like a trained poodle
At least be honest. You're not helping Huckabee.
If he respects the law, I assume he also respects current law regarding abortion as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States regarding abortion, i. e., Roe vs. Wade.
“He could have vetoed it, and had his veto over ridden like many others.”
Yea but that would have been standing up for life in the face of politics something Mitt seems unable to do..
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.
Mitt Romney can go straight to hell.
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