The ad says Mitt Romney "backed a bill that outlaws all abortions, even in cases of rape and incest." The only problem is that they referenced a 2007 CNN GOP debate where the candidates were answering a hypothetical.
Questioner: Hello, my name is AJ. I'm from Millstone, New
Jersey. I would all of the candidates to give an answer on this. If
hypothetically, Roe v. Wade was overturned, and the Congress passed a federal
ban on all abortions and it came to your desk, would you sign it? Yes or no?
Romney: I agree with Senator Thompson, which is we should
overturn Roe v. Wade and return these issues to the states. I would welcome a circumstance where there
was such a consensus in this country that we said, we don't want to have
abortion in this country at all, period. That would be wonderful. I'd be
delighted.
Anderson Cooper: The question is: Would you sign that bill?
Romney: Let me say it. I'd be delighted to sign that bill.
But that's not where we are. That's not where America is today. Where America
is is ready to overturn Roe v. Wade and return to the states that authority.
But if the Congress got there, we had that kind of consensus in that country,
terrific.
So, in other words, the bill doesn’t exist.
From Politifact: More
recently, Romney has made clear that he supports the exception for rape and
incest. In 2011, Romney explained his position on abortion in an op-ed in the
National Review. It begins with "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."
Too bad. It would be
nice to see the Republicans nominate a pro-life candidate that didn’t
discriminate against some children.
In any case, the ad can’t really be described as “negative”
or an “attack.” I actually think it will
rally America’s pro-life majority who by all accounts are more enthusiastic
about this election. Obama is doing some
of the heavy lifting, resulting in pro-life turnout for Romney.
No comments:
Post a Comment