Romney already flip-flopping, again, on the abortion issue

August 22, 2007 in 2008, conservatism, election, election 2008, GOP, mitt romney, republicans, rhetoric, romney, the dark soul of Mitt Romney, triumph of unreason
Tags: abortion, lies

BOSTON – Asked about abortion rights recently, Mitt Romney grew exasperated and said: ‘I’m pro-life; it would be great if we could just leave it at that,’ writes the estimable Glen Johnson of the Associated Press in a story inaptly titled “Looking for Nuance in Romney’s View on Abortion.”

… But as his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination progresses, Romney is revealing more complex thoughts on the subject for which he has already been labeled a flip-flopper. It shows even his current position defies easy labels or rote town-hall meeting answers. Before audiences in early voting Iowa and New Hampshire, where Romney leads in the polls, the former Massachusetts governor insisted he wants the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow the states to determine their own abortion policies. He said it’s preferable to the “one-size-fits-all” federal approach embedded in the court’s 1973 landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion.

Yet in recent weeks, he has acknowledged he also supports a plank in the 2004 Republican Party platform calling for a federal “Human Life Amendment” to the Constitution. It would repeal Roe v. Wade with an eye toward banning abortion nationwide …

… That, Romney added, is why he emphasizes electing a president committed to creating a high court majority opposed to Roe v. Wade. He has said conservative justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and John Roberts are the type of justices he would appoint.

And that, Romney says, would allow an intermediate recalibration of abortion rights.

The nuances of Romney’s abortion views don’t impress critics, who say he’s shifted his position to suit his need to curry favor with the GOP’s social conservatives.

“What we tell everybody is that no matter where they stand on the issue of choice, he or she should question where Mitt Romney stands,” said Kelly O’Bryan, a spokeswoman for NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts.

O’Bryan recalled Romney telling her abortion rights group during an interview amid his 2002 gubernatorial campaign, “I will not allow any chipping away at Roe v. Wade.” She said notes of the Sept. 26, 2002, meeting also reflect Romney saying, “You need someone in Washington like me.” At the time, Romney said that while he personally opposed abortion, he would not only support Roe, but block any state action to undercut abortion rights.

Angus McQuilken, spokesman for the Massachusetts chapter of the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund, cited similar statements to his group both during the gubernatorial race and Romney’s 1994 U.S. Senate campaign … more

Just so.

Please also see:

• Kornacki: Not the first time Romney has changed public position on abortion
• Brooks of the NYT suggests that Romney’s alledged conservatism is a facade to win the primaries

yours &c.
dr. g.d.

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