February 09, 2010
 
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| The Trouble With Mitt Romney's Pro-Life Conversion |
| by Deal W. Hudson |
| 12/27/07 |
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According to Romney, Dr. Melton dismissed the "moral issue" of cloning embryos for stem cells "because we kill the embryos after 14 days." (Melton disputes Romney's account.)
"It hit me very hard that we had so cheapened the value of human life in a Roe v. Wade environment that it was important to stand for the dignity of human life," Romney said. From that moment of conversion, Gov. Romney declared himself pro-life and an opponent of embryonic stem cell research. I join those who applaud Romney's new direction and agree that his promises are the right ones.
But there is a lingering problem: Romney is opposed only to creating clones for stem cell research; he is not opposed to using "discarded" frozen embryos. These frozen embryos have been the primary source of embryonic tissue for stem cell research. How can you declare yourself opposed to this research when you are not opposed to the way it is actually carried out?
Romney's position became even more confusing during his December 10th interview on CBS with Katie Couric. She asked Romney whether he agreed with using discarded frozen embryos for stem cells.
Yes, those embryos are commonly referred to as surplus embryos from in-vitro fertilization. Those embryos, I hope, could be available for adoption for people who would like to adopt embryos. But if a parent decides they would want to donate one of those embryos for purposes of research, in my view, that's acceptable. It should not be made against the law.
My question is this: How can you consider a frozen embryo a moral entity capable of being adopted, while at the same time support the scientist who wants to cut the embryonic being into pieces? Even more, if Romney's conversion was about the "cheapened value of human life," how can he abide the thought of a parent donating "one of those embryos" to be destroyed? Peter G. Flaherty, Romney's deputy campaign manager, has made it clear the governor is opposed to using federal funds on frozen embryo research, calling it "ethically troublesome."
As the primary in Iowa approaches, many Iowa conservatives have still not made up their minds. Gov. Mike Huckabee has surged because he became the candidate about whom social conservatives had the fewest doubts. Romney's well-oiled campaign -- the best of any candidate, in my opinion -- was never able to overcome the lingering doubts created by his pro-abortion past and the glaring inconsistency of his position on embryonic stem cells.
Romney is not the first politician who tripped over this issue. Back in the summer of 2005, Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) appeared to be the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination until he declared his support for expanded federal funding for research on frozen embryos. When Frist refused to recant or clarify his position, his presidential aspirations came to a swift end. Frist's meltdown came on the heels of the first showdown between the Bush White House and his pro-life supporters. The issue, again, was embryonic stem cells.
Jay P. Lefkowicz, who was domestic policy adviser at the time, describes in Commentary the huge effort made by Bush and his staff to make a decision on federal funding for research. Bush's decision to limit funding to the existing stem cell lines pleased very few, though the pro-life message of his TV appearance softened the blow to the pro-lifers.
Romney now inhabits a similar political space: His overall pro-life message is pleasing to many voters, but they're still looking for a safer bet.
Romney's speech on religion, given at Texas A&M on December 6, was clearly an attempt to calm the fears of his social conservative base, not only about his religion but also his overall commitment to conservative values. Thus far, the former governor of Massachusetts has not received the bump in the polls his campaign hoped to see after the widely-covered speech. More helpful to Romney's standing was the endorsement by National Review. The NR editors nevertheless acknowledged the chinks in Romney's pro-life armor in their carefully-worded statement of endorsement:
He [Romney] may not have thought deeply about the political dimensions of social issues until, as governor, he was confronted with the cutting edge of social liberalism.
It's clear from his convoluted statements on embryonic stem cells that Romney's thoughts on this issue are still far from coherent and consistent.
For many grassroots conservatives, and those from the Religious Right, Romney may be too big of a stretch, especially when they -- at least, for now -- identify so closely with the preacher from Hope, Arkansas.
Deal W. Hudson is the director of InsideCatholic.com and the Morley Institute for Church and Culture. Readers have left 9 comments. Thank you Deal. This is just what I suspected. With all the convoluted rhetoric from this candidate we can know one thing for sure: Mitt Romney, the candidate for President, is unknowable. How can he be so blind of judgement? Romney is a poser, a parser and a poacher. Turtle embryos on the beach have more protection from harvesting than human embryos. Simple consistent integrity and character is what we need to see so that we can judge prudently. No matter what the candidate imagines he can promise people during the campaign, when the unknown winds of change blow on a man's presidency, I want to know who will manage the situation with intelligence and sound advisors for the good of the country. False choices offered to parents and guardians of frozen embryos of whether to allow these embryos to die or to be worked into "research" as though they were a diseased kidney is wrong. Unethical science seeks control and manipulation of the human embryo as its agenda. Control of the human embryo is the target. People who want human embryo control want to have a legit place at the hog's trough of congressional and presidential spending. They can't wait to dive into the exploitable trough of funds. Who is supporting Romney's destructive human embryonic platform? They will be his advisors later. Maybe frozen embryos could be granted protections from harvesting under the Endangered Species Act or whatever law governs protection of fertilized turtle eggs on the beach. My limited understanding on animal protections that don't really affect me directly magnifies and shows the far greater ethical ignorance of those who should know better; candidates should know the delicate differences and nuances concerning life while running for such a high public office. Written by Honey Thankyou for your insight in reference to Mr Romney. The playing field of presidential canadates this primary season has left myself and I am sure many scratching our heads. Great to see your name at name at the bottom of this article. Good to have you back in the public forum, you have been very much missed. Have a Peaceful New Year. Written by Charlene Edwards New Hampshiere With the exception of abortion and gay marital rights, Huckabee is a liberal. He shares much more in common with Clinton & Obama than he does with Romney. His claim to fame in Arkansas is the destruction of the conservative movement. It looks like the "Christian Right" is making the same mistake with Huckabee as they did with Carter.  Written by Gil Garza Thanks for posting your article on the Duncan Hunter meetup website. We need this kind of precise information about the shortcomings of Romney (as well as the other candidates). Thanks again! T. Dan Tolleson Houston, Texas Written by Dan Tolleson Deal, The link you gave for the Romney-Couric interview is dead. I tried finding it on CBS site and I did find an interview from December 10, but that topic never came up. Can you please locate that and post it so I can send it to some Romney supporters? Written by Donato Infante Since his alleged "conversion," Romney signed a state wide healht insurance plan that pays for any and all abortions -- beyond even what the courts require; he has also stated he was against all efforts to save Terri Schiavo's life and now it has been revealed that as Governor his appointees gave state funds to Planned Parenthood to finance a new facility. This guy is a fraud. Written by Steve Baldwin This one I can agree with. The Huckabee/anti-Catholic argument is very thin, but this one is right on. I think the Mormon doctrines should be covered here as well. To believe you can become a god is blasphemy! The Democrats will have Romney for lunch on his flip-flops. Written by Wayne The Romney/Couric link may be gone because the liberal media want Romney or Gulliani as the candidate vs. their choice, Hillary. Romney would get killed by the Clinton machine on the flip-flops, as I previously stated. Gulliani gets them 3 of their favorite issues, anti-life, pro-gay, and pro gun control. Huckabee is not a liberal. He is a moderate with conservative leanings, or more likely a conservative with a record of getting things done in a state full of people that do not want a penny taken from them. Arkansas is a state with a VERY slim budget. I've met Huckabee, talked to him 3 times, and am comfortable with him as a conservative on the national level. He did what he did in Arkansas because the state was deteriorating fast, and had a VERY slim budget. He is a genuine man. And has the demeanor to bring people together. And his has a 100% pro-life record. Wayne from IOWA...caucusing for Huckabee tonight. Written by Wayne I believe Romney consistently wears a mask so no one knows what he is thinking or planning. He looks liket he male version of a 'Stepford wife'..and Mormonism does have to be looked at...Romney beieves Lucifer and Christ are brother, that God is physical and will alight somewhere in Missouri and Christian churches are apostate...etc...this is at the core of his being and says who he is ... we are so afraid of being politically incorrect that we dare not bring this issue up...just as very few brought up the fact that the so called 'pedophile' scandal in the Catholic Priesthood was, in fact, in the majority of cases, a homosexual problem...we need to speak up and let our voices be heard before it is too late!!! Written by FLORENCE |
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