Republican candidate Mitt Romney explains his pro-life journey

May 14, 2007 / 13:56 pm

Massachusetts Citizens for Life honored former Governor Mitt Romney on Thursday at their Mother’s day Pioneer dinner.  Governor Romney is currently running for the Republican nomination for President.

Romney recounted his journey to his present day pro-life positions. .  “I follow a long line of converts—George Herbert Walker Bush, Henry Hyde, Ronald Reagan.”  He described how after studying  embryo farming and cloning, he began to focus more on life issues.  Until then he was publicly pro-choice and pledged to support Roe v. Wade.  After speaking to scientists who supported embryo cloning for research purposes and studying the subject in great detail, he realized that “the Roe v. Wade mentality ha[d} so cheapened the value of human life that rational people saw human life as mere research material to be used, and then destroyed. The slippery slope could soon lead to racks and racks of living human embryos, Brave New World-like, awaiting destruction.” 

He continued, "[w}hat some see as a mere clump of cells is actually a human life. Human life has identity. Human life has the capacity to love and to be loved. Human life has profound dignity, dignity undiminished by age or infirmity.” 

As a result of this conversion, he stated that he publicly acknowledged his error.  He sought to live up to his commitment to life by fighting  to ban cloning and  embryo farming. He sought to define life at beginning at conception rather than at implantation.  Additionally, he supported abstinence education in schools. 

Romney also warned against the growing trend in the courts to decide on issues that should be decided by the people. "Make no mistake: abortion and same-sex marriage are not rights to be discovered in the Constitution.”  He reminded the audience of the important role the President plays in selecting judges who properly understand their limited roll as “servants of the law.”