Today Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn) strongly condemned fellow Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for his refusal to sign an anti-abortion pledge. In the statement below Bachmann, always known as a strong social conservative, casts doubt about whether Romney truly is "pro-life." In the current political environment, any serious doubts about a Republican candidate's pro-life credentials would almost certainly doom his chances to win the GOP nomination for president. At issue is a pledge being circulated by an anti-abortion group called the Susan B. Anthony List. The pledge states:
"I PLEDGE that I will only support candidates for President who are committed to protecting Life. I demand that any candidate I support commit to these positions:
FIRST, to nominate to the U.S. federal bench judges who are committed to restraint and applying the original meaning of the Constitution, not legislating from the bench;
SECOND, to select only pro-life appointees for relevant Cabinet and Executive Branch positions, in particular the head of National Institutes of Health, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Health & Human Services;
THIRD, to advance pro-life legislation to permanently end all taxpayer funding of abortion in all domestic and international spending programs, and defund Planned Parenthood and all other contractors and recipients of federal funds with affiliates that perform or fund abortions;
FOURTH, advance and sign into law a Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to protect unborn children who are capable of feeling pain from abortion."
Over the weekend Romney said he refused to sign the pledge because he thought it was too broad and that it might have unintended consequences. While maintaining he is "pro-life," Romney argued that the pledge would prevent the appointment of qualified members to his cabinet and also defund thousands of hospitals around the country.
Bachmann clearly did not accept Romney's reasoning. Today her campaign linked to a number of Romney's previous "pro-choice" positions and also released the following statement:
"It is distressing that Governor Romney refuses to sign the SBA Pledge, even while claiming to be pro-life. The excuses for not signing clearly continue the doubts about his leadership and commitment to ending the practice of abortion - particularly for a candidate who ran as pro-choice for the Senate and Governorship of Massachusetts. Any Presidential candidate seeking our party's nomination should sign the SBA Pledge and vow to protect life from conception to natural death. Governor Romney should reconsider his decision not to sign the Pledge just as he reconsidered his position on the life issue during the last campaign."
The story once again reflects a battle between the more conservative parts of the Republican Party and the moderates. Romney is clearly trying to maintain more moderate positions in order to make him more electable in the general election. However, if people like Bachmann succeed in casting doubts upon Romney's "pro-life" stance he may never win the Republican nomination to even have a chance in the general election.
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