Posted on 02/25/2009 6:52:18 AM PST by BarnacleCenturion
Today, as ABC's perceptive Rick Klein notes, Romney's PAC -- Free and Strong America -- donated $1,000 each to 11 Republican congressmen targeted in a retaliatory ad campaign by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for voting against President Obama's economic stimulus bill. Romney praised the Republicans as "standing up for fiscal responsibility and saying no to spending abuse."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimesblogs.latimes.com ...
Instead of Romney sitting in the whitehouse, we’ve got a flaming Marxist.
__________________________________________
Yes, the mormons are delighted...
They wanted to see the “faces of America “ in the White house...
And we got ‘em...
Everyone is happy...
Stay sweet...
Governor Romney: "I will be a pro-life President. I will appoint and fight for justices who follow the law and the Constitution, who understand judicial restraint and who won't legislate from the bench. But being a pro-life president also means promoting policies that reflect our respect for the sanctity of life. I will oppose taxpayer funding of abortion, oppose partial birth abortion, oppose abortion in military clinics, oppose funding abortion in international aid programs, and I will work to ban embryonic cloning. I will work to increase adoptions by making the adoption tax credit permanent and raising awareness about embryonic adoption, or snowflake babies." (Governor Mitt Romney, "Address to the Family Research Council's Values Voter Summit," Washington, D.C., October 19, 2007)
Governor Romney was presented with legislation concerning life issues on several occasions from the 85% majority Democrat Legislature in Massachusetts. In every instance he took the pro-life position by vetoing bills or lobbying for the pro-life approach, including the following actions:
He vetoed the bill providing state funding for human embryonic stem cell research (Theo Emery, "Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney Vetoes Stem Cell Bill," The Associated Press, 5/27/2005) He vetoed a bill that provided for the "morning after pill" without a prescription because it is an abortifacient and would have been available to minors without parental notification and consent (Governor Mitt Romney, Op-Ed, "Why I Vetoed Contraception Bill," The Boston Globe, 7/26/2005)
He pledged to veto any bill that would expand access to RU-486, the abortion pill (Hugh Hewitt, "Interview with Governor Romney," The Hugh Hewitt Show, 7/27/2005)
He vetoed legislation which would have redefined Massachusetts longstanding definition of the beginning of human life from fertilization to implantation (Governor Mitt Romney, Letter To The Massachusetts State Senate And House Of Representatives, 5/12/2005)
He supported parental notification laws and opposed efforts to weaken parental involvement (John McElhenny, "O'Brien And Romney Spar In Last Debate Before Election," The Associated Press, 10/29/2002)
He fought to promote abstinence education in public school classrooms with a program offered by faith-based Boston group Healthy Futures to middle school students. Gov. Romney's administration was the first in Massachusetts to use federal abstinence education funds for classroom programs. (Office of Gov. Mitt Romney, "Romney Announces Award of Abstinence Education Contract," Press Release, 4/20/2006)
Governor Romney: "Times of decision are moments of great clarity. Before I was Governor, the life issue was just that, an issue. But when responsibility for life or ending life was placed in my hands, I made the right decision. I chose life." (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The National Right To Life Convention Forum, Kansas City, MO, 6/15/2007) Eight prominent leaders of pro-life and pro-family groups in Massachusetts wrote an open letter on January 11, 2007 praising Gov. Romney for his leadership and accomplishments in these important issues and attesting to his commitment to the pro-life and pro-family causes. (This letter is a MUST READ)
Excerpt: "Since well before 2003, we have been laboring in the trenches of Massachusetts, fighting for the family values you and we share. It is difficult work indeed – not for the faint of heart. In this challenging environment, Governor Romney has proven that he shares our values, as well as our determination to protect them.
"For four years, Governor Romney has been right there beside us, providing leadership on key issues – whether it was politically expedient to do so or not. He has stood on principle, and we have benefited greatly from having him with us.
"It is clear that Governor Romney has learned much since 1994 – to the benefit of our movement and our Commonwealth. In fact, the entire nation has benefited from his socially conservative, pro-family actions in office. As we explained earlier, his leadership on the marriage issue helped prevent our nation from being plunged into even worse legal turmoil following the court decision that forced “gay marriage” upon our Commonwealth.
"For that our country ought to be thankful. We certainly are.
Massachusetts Citizens for Life gave Governor Romney their 2007 Mullins Award for Outstanding Political Leadership recognizing him for consistently seeking to advance the pro-life cause while in office. The award was presented at the MCFL Mother's Day Pioneer Valley Dinner where Gov. Romney delivered the keynote speech. Ann Romney serves as co-chairman of the Massachusetts Citizens for Life capital campaign.
Massachusetts Citizens For Life Executive Director Marie Sturgis: "Having Governor Romney in the corner office for the last four years has been one of the strongest assets the pro-life movement has had in Massachusetts." (Kathryn Jean Lopez, "An Early Massachusetts Primary," National Review Online, 1/10/2007)
Massachusetts Citizens For Life Pioneer Valley Chapter Chairman Kevin Jourdain: "Mitt Romney was a great Governor, who served with honor and distinction. But most importantly, he was a pro-life Governor. He vetoed a number of pro-abortion pieces of legislation and made many pro-life appointments. He was always there for us." (Kevin Jourdain, Remarks at Massachusetts Citizens for Life Mother's Day Pioneer Valley Dinner, Agawam, MA, 5/10/2007)
Governor Romney has received the important endorsement of James Bopp, Jr., a nationally-known constitutional lawyer, leading advocate for the pro-life movement, and author of the Human Life Amendment for the Republican Party Platform. James Bopp reviewed Romney's record as Governor and questioned him personally before giving Romney his endorsement. Bopp later joined the Romney Presidential campaign as a special adviser on life issues, an unpaid position.
James Bopp Jr. wrote about the record of Governor Romney:
"These actions as governor have lead leaders of the most important social conservative groups in Massachusetts, including Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Massachusetts Family Institute, and the Knights of Columbus, to observe that, while previous comments by Romney “are, taken by themselves, obviously worrisome to social conservatives including ourselves, they do not dovetail with the actions of Governor Romney from 2003 until now — and those actions positively and demonstrably impacted the social climate of Massachusetts.” They conclude that Romney “demonstrat[ed] [his] solid social conservative credentials by undertaking” these actions, and has therefore “proven that he shares our values, as well as our determination to protect them.” (James Bopp Jr., "The Best Choice Is Also a Good Choice - Why social conservatives should support Mitt Romney for president," National Review Online, 2/21/2007) Governor Romney believes Roe v. Wade should be overturned as a first step, allowing the States to set abortion policy, as a goal that can be achieved more quickly. For a longer range goal after overturning Roe v. Wade, he supports a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution and endorses legislation to make it clear that the 14th Amendment's protections apply to unborn children. Romney believes that controversial abortion policy should be decided through the democratic process by citizens in the several states and their elected representatives rather than by federal judicial mandate.
Governor Romney: "I understand that my views on laws governing abortion set me in the minority in our Commonwealth. I am prolife. I believe that abortion is the wrong choice except in cases of incest, rape, and to save the life of the mother. I wish the people of America agreed, and that the laws of our nation could reflect that view. But while the nation remains so divided over abortion, I believe that the states, through the democratic process, should determine their own abortion laws and not have them dictated by judicial mandate." (Governor Mitt Romney, Op-Ed, "Why I vetoed contraception bill," The Boston Globe, 7/26/2005)
Gov. Romney Praised The U.S. Supreme Court Decision Upholding A Partial-Birth Abortion Ban. "Today, our nation's highest court reaffirmed the value of life in America by upholding a ban on a practice that offends basic human decency. This decision represents a step forward in protecting the weakest and most innocent among us." (Romney for President, "Statement On Supreme Court's Partial Birth Abortion Ruling," Press Release, 4/18/2007)
Statement from Romney Communications Director Matt Rhoades: "Governor Romney does not believe that abortion legislation should punish women who have abortions. Governor Romney recognizes that we must be sensitive to both lives involved in these situations, the unborn child and the mother. The people who should be held accountable for violations of this nature are the people who perform an illegal abortion, the penalties of which could include anything from disciplinary action to incarceration." (Terence P. Jeffrey, "Romney Open to Incarcerating Abortionists," CNSNews.com, 11/21/2007)
View video of a portion of a speech delivered by Mitt Romney at the National Review Institute Conservative Summit in which he describes a pivotal event in his life while learning about stem cell research and embryo farming from Harvard research scientists. From a researcher's comment explaining that there wasn't a moral issue at stake in the embryo farming process because the embryos are destroyed after 14 days, Romney was hit hard by the harsh realization that, in his words, "We have so cheapened the value and sanctity of human life in our society that someone could think there is not a moral issue because we kill human embryos at 14 days." Gov. Romney publicly affirmed his pro-life position thereafter.
Governor Romney: "I don't believe that somatic cell nuclear transfer or cloning and embryo farming are appropriate and would not pursue federal funding of those forms of stem cell research." (David A. Lieb, "Romney Wraps Self In Reagan Lingo," The Associated Press, 2/11/2007)
In August 2006, Gov. Romney imposed a limit on stem cell research, saying that scientists could not use stem cell lines developed in states with less restrictive laws than Massachusetts, which barred the production of embryos for the expressed purpose of scientific exploration. Public health regulators appointed by Romney's successor, Democrat Gov. Deval Patrick, reversed that limit in October, 2007. (Stephen Smith, "Health Council repeals Romney limit on stem cell research," The Boston Globe, 10/11/2007)
Governor Romney Believes We Can Support Techniques That "Produce The Equivalent Of Embryonic Stem Cells But Without Cloning, Creating, Harming, Or Destroying Developing Human Lives." Governor Romney: "I studied the issue for many months, and entered into conversation with experts from across the nation who were looking for consensus solutions, like Stanford's Dr. William Hurlbut. In the end, I became persuaded that the stem-cell debate was grounded in a false premise, and that the way through it was around it: by the use of scientific techniques that could produce the equivalent of embryonic stem cells but without cloning, creating, harming, or destroying developing human lives." (Governor Mitt Romney, Op-Ed, "A Stem-Cell Solution," National Review Online, 6/15/2007)
Important Stem-Cell Research Update: "Ever since the debate of embryo-destructive stem-cell research began in earnest in 1998 when researchers at the University of Wisconsin first isolated human embryonic stem cells, we’ve known that the best overall answer to the ethical impasse would be a solution that both allows the search for stem-cell related cures to go foreword, while doing so without harming or destroying embryonic human life in the process. "We now have that solution.
"Two major scientific papers published today in Science and Cell offer proof of principle research to show that it is possible to generate patient-matched pluripotent stem cells without human cloning and its attendant moral pitfalls: the need to harvest and use human eggs from female donors and the subsequent destruction of cloned human embryos. Both studies used reprogramming of adult human cells to generate stem cells known as “induced pluripotent state cells” (iPSCs) that have all the properties of human embryonic stem cells.
... "In the highly contentious political battle over federal funding for stem-cell research, one cannot help but note that of all the current presidential candidates, only Governor Mitt Romney embraced an unambiguous and principled stance on the alternatives, incorporating them into his proposed domestic policy." (Father Thomas Berg, "The Future Is Now — Stem-cell debate changes," National Review Online, 11/20/2007)
Governor Romney On Stem-Cell Research Announcement: "New developments confirm that cutting edge science and ethical principles are not opposed to one another. Scientists have provided a means for producing new cells functionally identical to embryonic stem cells without creating or destroying embryos and without the need to exploit women for their eggs. This is a result the whole public can celebrate. The scientists deserve credit for their genius, but equally, the voices insisting on ethical science and respect for human life provided the incentive for this revolutionary research." (Romney for President, "Governor Romney On Stem-Cell Research Announcement," Press Release, 11/21/2007)
Read more about the contrasts in policy in a Research Briefing: Promoting A Culture Of Life: The Romney Vision Vs. The Democrat Vision
The influence of family members and events in Mitt Romney's life on matters of abortion are worth considering. They illuminate obstacles he surmounted to adopt pro-life beliefs in his private life. Mitt Romney’s mother, Lenore Romney, advocated a pro-choice position in her unsuccessful 1970 run for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, writing in her campaign platform, "I support and recognize the need for more liberal abortion rights while reaffirming the legal and medical measures needed to protect the unborn and pregnant woman [sic]." Mitt Romney revealed in 1994 that his brother-in-law's sister, a close family friend, died after a botched illegal abortion in the 1960s when Mitt would have been in his teens and early 20s. (Stephanie Ebbert, "Romney releases mother's statement on abortion issue," The Boston Globe, 6/28/2005)
In a February 14, 2007 appearance on ABC's Good Morning America TV show, Ann Romney talked about her personal struggle with multiple sclerosis and offered her perspective on embryonic stem cell research with a powerful, inspiring message opposing medical experimentation that could conceivably relieve her own suffering. Read a thought-provoking commentary by Alliance Defense Fund constitutional lawyer David French on Ann Romney's strength of character in opposing embryonic stem cell research as seen in the ABC Good Morning America segment.
Gov. Romney made a $15,000 contribution in 2006 to the pro-life group Massachusetts Citizens for Life from the Tyler Charitable Foundation, a joint family trust of Mitt and Ann Romney. They also donated $10,000 to the Massachusetts Family Institute during the same time period.
The Tyler Charitable Foundation has donated more than $2.9 million to more than 40 health care groups, schools, and other charitable organizations since 1999.
I would love to see you come up with a list of Mormons who were concealed by their church leadership to have an abortion. LOL. Good luck with that one!
“he got lambasted in the press for taking such a firm stand against a member of his congregation who was trying to get an abortion.”
He admits being pro abortion, as a powerful religious leader I don’t know what his position was for his own followers.
He can have a Damacus road experince any time and throw off that MORMONism that is dragging him dow.
Then it'll just be the RINO policies (that are now albatrossing him) that will point out what a poor choice he would have been.
Oh, Nanny. The team of irrational Romney hating kooks just wouldn’t be complete without you. : )
Abortion
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in the sanctity of human life. Therefore, the Church opposes elective abortion for personal or social convenience, and counsels its members not to submit to, perform, encourage, pay for, or arrange for such abortions.
The Church allows for possible exceptions for its members when:
• Pregnancy results from rape or incest, or
• A competent physician determines that the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy, or
• A competent physician determines that the fetus has severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.
The Church teaches its members that even these rare exceptions do not justify abortion automatically. Abortion is a most serious matter and should be considered only after the persons involved have consulted with their local church leaders and feel through personal prayer that their decision is correct.
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/public-issues/abortion
Where's the ignore button when I need one.
I admire your courage.
Courage to admit in front of GOD and everyone on FR that you have not been paying attention.
Maybe if you people would stop trying to shove obviously unsuitable candidates like Romney down all of our throats, we could be more united.
I'll grant you that there are some unappeasables in the party, but they're not the reason for the opposition to Romney. Romney is the reason. Charlatans like Romney need to take a hike.
“Yeah, that’s old, Ive seen it several times. That’s not what he said at all.”
Old? it is from the primary for the presidential race.
It is exactly what he is saying on the video tape and the full twenty minutes is even worse, but the interview keeps getting pulled over and over.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5sXcdiL1wE
and?
this is the only reason you have to side with democrats and back old and crusty??
And yet, he legislated just the opposite, as has been proven.
The only thing you guys have to throw out is his politicking rhetoric, which he he did in such a liberal state. But he sure governed in a red state manner.
Next.
Mormon doctrine is clear about Abortion
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Romney clearly enjoyed boasting to the Iowa radio guy that several mormon leaders in Utah were pro-abortion and or Democrats...
Kept repeating that in an effort to shock the guy...
Romney was so embarrassing...He wouldnt shut up...
Romney kept on poo harring the idea that mormons were pro-life and Conservative republicans...
The poor guy kept trying to shut him up...
He didnt know what Romney’s point was...
and neither did I when I heard him...
Old, yes, it’s been covered here on FR many times. Have you even watched the whole thing?
Wrong, the “11th commandment” was used by the Republican Party of CA in 1966 when Reagan was running for Gov. It was used to get the moderates off the back of conservatives (goldwater was getting a beating), to build party unity and get their conservative candidate elected. Reagan won that election and the rest is history. He may not have said the words but he benefitted from the practice. That subsequent party loyalists used this commandment to promote Liberalism, shame on them. It’s practice is applicable if we ever find a Conservative to run again - which is looking slimmer and slimmer because we can’t even let Romney raise money for us without busting his head open. Geez.
Romney is putting his money where some disgruntled FReepers mouth's are. They talk up how committed to conservatism they are yet I'd like to see how much they have donated to these 11. Or how much they have donated to the Coleman legal defense fund to keep looney Franken out of the senate.
Romney knows how to work the media as well and leverage the press. It isn't just the $1,000 he donated to the campaigns but by donating even the LA Times is forced to list the Pubbies name. It's good exposure for them as well.
It's alot like when he gave money to Michelle Bachmann and campaigned for her in Minnesota. The media listed the cash donation but did not include the cost he paid out of pocket to fly up for multiple campaing stops and events on her behalf. He had won the GOP MN primary so the effect of his appearances did help her beyond just the cash amount he gave. But the media was forced to cover her events more.
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