Posted on 05/12/2011 12:56:22 PM PDT by wagglebee
Mitt Romney can’t seem to win for losing when it comes to some of the criticisms he faces on pro-life and health care issues.
The former Massachusetts governor is giving a major speech today about health care in an attempt to overcome the hurdle he faces about the health care plan implemented during his gubernatorial administration that requires state residents to purchase health insurance in a way similar to Obamacare. Romney has already faced questions about the sincerity of his conversion on abortion — from abortion to pro-life before the 2008 presidential campaign — and the location of his speech will do nothing to quell those concerns.
Romney will present his plan to repeal and replace Obamacare in a speech at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center at a time when the university is under criticism from pro-life groups for performing and promoting embryonic stem cell research.
Although the criticism is somewhat of a guilt by association one, it nonetheless has given pro-life advocates another reason to doubt the governor’s pro-life bonafides.
Andy Blom, executive director of the conservative group American Principles Project pushed the Romney-ESCR argument today online and told the Washington Times, “His choice of location for the announcement raises questions as to his true pro-life commitment from conception to natural death. Let us remind him and all 2012 candidates: There will be no truces on social issues in the conservative movement.”
The press statement LifeNews received from the Romney exploratory committee makes no mention of the embryonic stem cell research and the Times indicated Romney officials did not respond to a request for comment. LifeNews.com emailed Romney’s press spokesman and has not yet received a response.
Jim Sedlak, vice president of American Life League, told the Times that pro-life advocates “will be watching closely to see if the governor defends human life from the moment of creation or if he expresses a belief that some human embryos are considered only valuable enough to be used in research to benefit others.”
“Just like any other human being, they have value, they have worth and they should not be experimented on,” Sedlak said, adding that “we certainly would be disappointed that anyone who declares himself pro-life would not use this opportunity where he is to stand up for embryonic human beings.”
Ironically, it is the issue of embryonic stem cell research that is credited with prompting Romney to convert to the pro-life position. Romney said he was unable to sign a pro-ESCR bill because it promoted human cloning to create human embryos with the sole intention of destroying them for research. Pro-life groups opposed the bill because it would allow scientists to clone human embryos and destroy them to obtain their stem cells for research. It would also remove the requirement that research first obtain permission for studies involving embryonic stem cells.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Romney said he opposes the specific creation and destruction of human life to advance science but he says he would support destroying human embryos from fertility clinics.
“I’m very much in favor of stem cell research, but in a way which I believe is moral and ethical,” he said. That means he opposes “creating new embryos through embryo farming or through cloning” — which is a practice he finds “unethical.”
Romney said he would first like to see human embryos adopted by families before put up for their destruction. However, he explained how he would have no problem with parents who want to allow those human embryos — unique human beings — to be destroyed for research. “But if a parent decides they would want to donate one of those embryos for purposes of research, in my view, that’s acceptable,” he said. “It should not be made against the law.”
At the same time, Romney appeared to side with President Bush in opposing the forcing of taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research that involves the destruction of human life. “I wouldn’t finance that with government money because it represents a moral challenge for a lot of people and I think we’re better investing in places where the prospects are much better,” he said.
It's time to get rid of this RINO abortionist once and for all.
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Too little, too late — about two years too late.
Romney just has too much Massachusetts all over him.
He will be wasting his money in the primaries.
Of course, what would happen next is fertility clinics increasing the number of embryos they create so they'll have more to sell for embroynic stem cell research. Romney really is clueless about how the world works.
If I decided I'd had it with Bill's not getting college applications done on time and leaving his room a mess, and wanted to donate him for medical research, would that be okay with Mitt?
The reason his "pro-life bona fides" are questioned is that he so obviously just doesn't get it. He should read Ramesh Ponnuru's "The Party of Death."
I think that's a reasonable interpretation, but why? He's not going to get the abortion-industry donations if he's a Republican, so why not just *be* pro-life, for real?
Because he just isn't.
These fake pro-life politicians have complete contempt for the pro-life movement, they see us as a source of votes and a group that they must occasionally placate but nothing more.
It's not going to happen. Read any Romney thread (this one will probably be no different) and you will see that despite Romney's long and storied history of being a liberal he still has his supporters. I even read one FReeper's comment wherein she said she liked his hair.
God help us.
I also remember the hair/looks comments. The funniest was last year when the FRiberals were ecstatic about Scott Brown basically being the second coming of Myth Romney.
Mitt Romney couldn’t even beat John McCain => enough said...
Romney is the Vampire Squid of Presidential candidates.
Nope, anybody supporting Romney will be promptly banned. I've appealed to JimRob to allow just one of them to liive, so we will have someone to beat up on. No word back from him yet.
I even read one FReeper's comment wherein she said she liked his hair.
Quit calling me "she" and I didn't say I liked it, I said "he has nice hair".
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2718735/posts?page=15#15
A purge or Romneybots is necessary. I'd also like to see a purge of Ron Paul's surrender-monkey clan.
Both are necessary and will be imperative within a month or so.
I’m no fan of Romney — and I DON’T agree with his stand on allowing ANY embryonic stem cell research. But picking a fight with him over the venue of his speech today is asinine.
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