Rhino
05-08-2007, 10:55 AM
Abortion Puts Some GOP Candidates on Defense
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
By Greg Simmons
WASHINGTON — Republican contenders for the White House are finding themselves on the defensive over their stances — and shifts — on abortion as each tries to convince social conservatives he is the best candidate for the GOP presidential nomination.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Monday questioned why Republicans are always the ones whose motives are questioned when they move from support for abortion rights to opposition to abortion.
Romney acknowledges that he once backed the right for women to end their pregnancies. In a debate last week, he said when he was running for governor he upheld the law protective of abortion rights despite becoming opposed to it while in office.
"You don't have to take my word for it. You can look at what I did as governor, and as governor, I came down on the side of life. On every piece of legislation that came my way, I was on the side of life," Romney told FOX News.
Romney also called criticism of his change of heart over abortion unfair. He said that he changed his mind from being supportive of abortion rights to against them over the issue of embryonic cloning.
"What I find interesting is had I been pro-life and then changed to pro-choice no one would ask the question," Romney said. "If you go the other direction, as I have and as Ronald Reagan did and (former Illinois Rep.) Henry Hyde and George Herbert Walker Bush, it's like the media can't get enough of 'how, why did you change?'"....http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270663,00.html
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
By Greg Simmons
WASHINGTON — Republican contenders for the White House are finding themselves on the defensive over their stances — and shifts — on abortion as each tries to convince social conservatives he is the best candidate for the GOP presidential nomination.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Monday questioned why Republicans are always the ones whose motives are questioned when they move from support for abortion rights to opposition to abortion.
Romney acknowledges that he once backed the right for women to end their pregnancies. In a debate last week, he said when he was running for governor he upheld the law protective of abortion rights despite becoming opposed to it while in office.
"You don't have to take my word for it. You can look at what I did as governor, and as governor, I came down on the side of life. On every piece of legislation that came my way, I was on the side of life," Romney told FOX News.
Romney also called criticism of his change of heart over abortion unfair. He said that he changed his mind from being supportive of abortion rights to against them over the issue of embryonic cloning.
"What I find interesting is had I been pro-life and then changed to pro-choice no one would ask the question," Romney said. "If you go the other direction, as I have and as Ronald Reagan did and (former Illinois Rep.) Henry Hyde and George Herbert Walker Bush, it's like the media can't get enough of 'how, why did you change?'"....http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270663,00.html