February 20, 2007
From 2002, Romney Defends His Abortion Stance
While researching a National Journal article on ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney's evolution on abortion and gay rights, we came across transcripts of his 2002 gubernatorial debate with Dem Shannon O'Brien.
An anonymous YouTuber obtained the actual video. As you listen to the exchange below, be reminded that you're listening to Romney talk about abortion only five years ago.
His only difference with O'Brien -- Romney did not support a chance in the age of consent law to 16, preferring to keep it at 18. Of the state's judicial bypass, Romney said, "So far, in Massachusetts history, when a young woman has gone to a judge, not one single time has there been a denial of that permission."
On the laws generally: "I will preserve them, I will protect them, I will enforce them."
Posted at 02:37 PM
Comments
I'm getting sick and tired of all the hubbub about what Mr. Romney has SAID about abortion. What matters most is what he has DONE. Let's concentrate on his record as governor, where, when confronted with several pro-abortion bills, he vetoed every single one of them.
The bottom line is that actions speak louder than words.
S. Richard | 02.20.07 04:30 PM
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Go Mitt! Mitt is awesome! There is nothing new here. We all know that the terms pro-life and pro-choice are over simplistic. Mitt Romney declared a truce on the issue in Massachusetts, and I would encourage all pro life republicans in Massachusetts to accept the rule of law, and do the same thing Romney did. The belief that someone can not advocate different policies for different regions is childish beyond compare. Why do residents of Las Vegas have to live under the same abortion laws as Salt Lake? The one size fits all policy has got to go.
mike | 02.20.07 07:20 PM
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Mitt is a flip-flopper with no spine. First he's one way, then he's another. He changes his position whenever it's politically expedient, which means 1) you'll never know where he stands and 2) you can't trust a single thing that comes out of his mouth. He's about parsing words and appearances, nothing more. We have a few words for people like that; shallow, feckless, and two-faced.
C Vierck | 02.21.07 12:29 PM
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Romney is a perfect FLIP-FLOPer on social issues. He will go to any level to grab favors with relegious right.
Kelly | 02.21.07 01:08 PM
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I remembering watching this debate when Mitt Romney ran for Governer when I lived in Boston. I, like S. Richard, am also sick and tired of all the twisting of what Mitt Romney said. What he really did say when he ran for governer is that he would uphold the laws of the United States in defending a woman's right to choose regarding abortion. Personally he was opposed to it because of his faith, but because of his faith and as a citizen of his country, he was obligated to uphold the law, even if he personally disagree with it.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. Did you know that members of the church who don't obey their state and federal laws are in risk of losing their membership in the church? This applies to every member of the church whether they live in Austria or Zaire.
Mitt kept his word. He upheld the law and his record is solid. Let's get off the Mormon issue and move on to more important things!
Diane | 02.21.07 03:06 PM
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The difference here is that Mitt is angling to be the President of the US, not a State Governor. The abortion issue is significantly broader when applied to the country as a whole.
If Mitt is appointing SCOTUS Justices who may have Roe come before them again for review, then he's not just "upholding the law" but will be in a position to significantly impact it for the whole country, including for states that may not share his personal views or those of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Geo | 02.21.07 03:44 PM
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Go Mitt! He was perfectly clear on this issue. He PERSONALLY is Pro-Life but he didn't label himself as a Pro-Lifer in the political arena because he believed that a woman has the right to choose for herself (which a pro-lifer does not believe in). But he refused to accept the label of Pro-Choice since he himself is personally against abortion (which Pro-Choice people are not). It makes total sense. However, since this video, Mitt had an experience where he was learning about Embrionic Stem Cell research and learned that the embryos are destroyed after 14 days (which is true). But the creation of embryos by mixing sperm and an egg is CREATING LIFE. Then destroying (or any other variation of the word) is "KILLING" the embryo. He thought it was completely and morally wrong for us to create a living organism for the sole purpose of research and then killing (or destroying, ending, terminating, etc) it before it gets too far along in the growth process. This experience impacted him very deeply and he has decided to come out and be firmly Pro-Life in both his personal life and political life. Mitt's record since this conversion clearly demonstrates that he believes in what he says since he has shot down all pro-choice bills that arrived at his desk. Go Mitt!
Mark | 02.22.07 12:56 PM
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He lied to his pro-choice state about how he felt about abortion. He's a politican; what do you expect?
Scott Hughes | 02.26.07 02:52 PM
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