Romney says this:
For all the conflicting views on this issue, it speaks well of our country that we recognize abortion as a problem. The law may call it a right, but no one ever called it a good, and, in the quiet of conscience people of both political parties know that more than a million abortions a year cannot be squared with the good heart of America.
You can’t be a prolife governor in a prochoice state without understanding that there are heartfelt and thoughtful arguments on both sides of the question. Many women considering abortions face terrible pressures, hurts, and fears; we should come to their aid with all the resourcefulness and empathy we can offer. At the same time, the starting point should be the innocence and vulnerability of the child waiting to be born.
He certainly always hasn’t quite articulated that view–running for governor–but I’ll take that kind of evolution, especially as he explains it here:
In some respects, these convictions have evolved and deepened during my time as governor. In considering the issue of embryo cloning and embryo farming, I saw where the harsh logic of abortion can lead — to the view of innocent new life as nothing more than research material or a commodity to be exploited.
And one could be cynical and argue he’s just talking this way because he wants to be president–as they will and are–but unlike Hillary, he’s got a record to prove a committment. Why would he go out on cloning–with near no allies in his state–if he didn’t actually believe what he was saying? I don’t even think it was necessarily smart ‘08 politics–as a mere ploy–because he had the same kind of Solomonic approach Bush took, which is easier to do after you’ve won an election–i.e. it’s not a black and white way to go, bringing with it a clear, quick, enthused base.
Anyway, I buy it–and actually think the piece today is a useful, practical addition to the national conversation on the issue–if anyone will look beyong the man-who-wants-to-be-president aspect. Will be interesting to see the reaction.