As reported yesterday, while most of the other Republican presidential candidates have signed the SBA List Pledge on abortion, Mitt Romney has not. The Pledge:
FIRST, to nominate to the U.S. federal bench judges who are committed to restraint and applying the original meaning of the Constitution, not legislating from the bench;
SECOND, to select only pro-life appointees for relevant Cabinet and Executive Branch positions, in particular the head of National Institutes of Health, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Health & Human Services;
THIRD, to advance pro-life legislation to permanently end all taxpayer funding of abortion in all domestic and international spending programs, and defund Planned Parenthood and all other contractors and recipients of federal funds with affiliates that perform or fund abortions;
FOURTH, advance and sign into law a Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to protect unborn children who are capable of feeling pain from abortion.
Now Romney has come out and defended his decision not to sign it at National Review.
I am pro-life and believe that abortion should be limited to only instances of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.
I support the reversal of Roe v. Wade, because it is bad law and bad medicine. Roe was a misguided ruling that was a result of a small group of activist federal judges legislating from the bench.
I support the Hyde Amendment, which broadly bars the use of federal funds for abortions. And as president, I will support efforts to prohibit federal funding for any organization like Planned Parenthood, which primarily performs abortions or offers abortion-related services.
I will reinstate the Mexico City Policy to ensure that nongovernmental organizations that receive funding from America refrain from performing or promoting abortion services, as a method of family planning, in other countries. This includes ending American funding for any United Nations or other foreign assistance program that promotes or performs abortions on women around the world.
I will advocate for and support a Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to protect unborn children who are capable of feeling pain from abortion.
And perhaps most importantly, I will only appoint judges who adhere to the Constitution and the laws as they are written, not as they want them to be written.
As much as I share the goals of the Susan B. Anthony List, its well-meaning pledge is overly broad and would have unintended consequences. That is why I could not sign it. It is one thing to end federal funding for an organization like Planned Parenthood; it is entirely another to end all federal funding for thousands of hospitals across America. That is precisely what the pledge would demand and require of a president who signed it.
The pledge also unduly burdens a president’s ability to appoint the most qualified individuals to a broad array of key positions in the federal government. I would expect every one of my appointees to carry out my policies on abortion and every other issue, irrespective of their personal views.
If I have the opportunity to serve as our nation’s next president, I commit to doing everything in my power to cultivate, promote, and support a culture of life in America.
It seems all so reasonable until you remember that just a few years ago, Mitt said this…
Thoughts?
Update: Santorum To Romney — Sign It!!
June 18, 2011 at 6:47 pm
The man cannot be trusted.
June 18, 2011 at 7:12 pm
He hasn't shown he deserves my vote. His statement is clearly wishy washy!
June 18, 2011 at 7:51 pm
Not buyin' it. Mitt's off my list.
June 18, 2011 at 7:54 pm
Mitt = Orwell
June 18, 2011 at 8:04 pm
He is playing politics always. Now, he thinks he can disturb his position with independents signing the petition. I will never vote for someone putting politics before life. I can trust no one doing that.
Faith first, then career.
June 18, 2011 at 10:51 pm
Remember Romney's leadership during the Obamacare debate about abortion funding. Oh wait that didn't happen in this universe. Neither did he attend the March for Life or do anything for the pro-life cause other than say he is pro-life. Usually converts for the pro-life cause want to make up for their previous error – haven't seen much repentance here.
Plus the bill he signed on Romneycare covered abortion. No pro-lifer would have signed such a bill.
June 18, 2011 at 11:33 pm
RINO. Nuf'said.
June 19, 2011 at 1:10 am
Dear GOP,
I am NOT voting for Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich. Either produce a real candidate that can turn this country around or I'm not voting. We'll survive four more years of Obama because it will either cure the nation of Leftism or it will bring on a revolutionary cleansing.
June 19, 2011 at 2:31 am
Typical Mitt: tepid and wish-washy. Would I vote for him rather than Barry? You bet, but may God prevent him from being the nominee.
June 19, 2011 at 2:51 am
I actually thought it was responsible of Mitt. While everyone signing the pledge does not that means they were seriously follow it if they got in
Mary Ann Glendon , who I know is supporting Romney, basically put her street cred on the line today and said if Mitt signed that it would be irresponsible. I suspect she is advising him.Lopez highlighted her comments on the Corner
Now Glendon was our envoy to the Holy See. She worked for the Pro-life cause in the UN, and among other things declined American Catholicism highest award because she would have to sit on the stage with Obama at Notre Dame whose invitation she thought was improper.
So Glendon's remarks gives me pause and I think before people get on Romney they should at least give that some weight. She has walked the talk as they say and she does say these things lightly
June 19, 2011 at 8:11 am
Agree whit James H. Sometimes in politics you can't show all your cards at the beginning. The fact that Rommey has not signed the pledge now does not mind he won't be fully prolife later.
June 20, 2011 at 4:59 pm
I won't vote for him under ANY circumstances, and neither should any self-respecting pro-lifer. If it means Obama gets reelected, so be it.
Not that anyone cares what is said on my blog, but I assure you that, if the GOP is stupid enough to nominate Mitt, I will blog overtime encouraging faithful Catholics and other pro-lifers to vote 3rd party. That's a promise.
June 21, 2011 at 11:34 am
I certainly don't intend to vote for him in the primary. However, if he is nominated & the final choice is 4 more years of Obummer or a Romney presidency, I will definitely choose Mitt. Imperfect as his position is, it's a HUGE improvement on Obummer and his crowd.
June 21, 2011 at 2:12 pm
actually this is typical of Mormons. "Let us each have the chance to establish what we really believe rather than referring to records and past statements."