Romney Draws Crowds and Criticism

In particular,

While presidential candidate Mitt Romney is appearing today at a National Right to Life Conference, a new YouTube video (below) released a few days ago appears to show that Romney's alleged pro-life conversion story is chronologically false and misleading.

Although Romney claims he definitively converted to the pro-life viewpoint in November of 2004 (after meeting with Harvard scientists about the stem-cell issue), the video shows a May 2005 news conference where Romney said he was "absolutely committed" to maintaining Massachusetts' abortion rights laws. [more here]

To be fair, Romney explains that the statement followed a campaign promise to keep the status quo on abortion related legislation and that it was delivered in the context of his veto of a Massachusetts law providing state funding for embryonic stem cell research. His explanation is understandable and the veto was substantive action reflecting the positive change in his moral compass. However, I disagree that his prior promise to let unjust legislation stand is a sufficient justification to maintain abortion rights laws. In addition, in 2006 he signed into a law a plan that expanded taxpayer-funding for abortions. He vetoed some portions of the law but left in place those items that were anti-life .

And even his position on destructive embryonic stem cell research seems seems inconsistent:

But in August 2004, Governor Romney appeared to express support for expanded federal backing of embryonic work.

(...) Less than a year later, Mr. Romney also spoke favorably of a federal stem cell measure that had just been passed by the House of Representatives but that Mr. Bush eventually vetoed.

The governor himself had just vetoed a Massachusetts bill that, going further than the federal legislation, would have opened the door to a controversial technique entailing the cloning of embryos for purposes of experimentation. In response to a question then, Mr. Romney drew a distinction between the House bill and the state measure.

"The United States House of Representatives voted for a bill that was identical to what I proposed," Mr. Romney said. "They voted to provide for surplus embryos from in vitro fertilization processes being used for research and experimentation. That's what I said I support."

Of relevance to this discussion is Romney's recent National Review Online article in which he supports using scientific techniques that could produce the equivalent of embryonic stem cells but without cloning, creating, harming, or destroying developing human lives.

There's also this report:

Within two months of his epiphany on this issue [abortion], Romney appointed to a judgeship a Democrat who was an avowed supporter of abortion rights. In May 2005, Romney also declared his support for a House bill lifting President Bush's ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research -- a bill he now said he opposes.

Romney does continue to attract a crowd of conservative followers and for good reason. But to garner the broad support of pro-life voters he will need to present a more consistent and understandable vision related to the sanctity of human life and social justice (does he support a Human Life Amendment or not?).

In other news:

An aide to GOP presidential candidate Sam Brownback has been reprimanded for sending e-mail to Iowa Republican leaders in an apparent attempt to draw unfavorable scrutiny to rival Mitt Romney's Mormonism. - Boston Herald

Slowly, methodically, the Republican presidential contender has seized the advantage in the early states that count, relying on a solid organization, $4 million in advertising and an aggressive approach. - Boston Herald

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Friday told hundreds of anti-abortion activists that his conversion to their cause is genuine as he sought to fend off rivals' criticism that he's inconsistent on the issue. - Associated Press

Update: LifeNews has a fairly positive article about Romney.

Romney is about to get a bipartisan one-two punch from the political "establishment." - WorldNetDaily