And about his candidate?

"I don’t know yet about Romney," Bopp admits. "I’m not really sure where [abortion] will ultimately fit in his agenda. He's still on a journey."

The last four paragraphs of Johathan Martin’s blog combines answers to several questions to me creating the erroneous impression that I am uncertain about Romney’s pro-life position. I am not. To the question: “will any of these candidates really advocate an end to abortion or were they just paying lip service to an important issue,” my view is that “Romney is sincere about advocating an end to abortion — he is not paying lip service to it.” If I had been asked further about this, I would have said that he will promote and sign pro-life legislation, oppose and veto pro-choice legislation (as he had done as Governor) and appoint strict constructionist judges. My statement about Romney in the last sentence of the Martin’s blog (which is correctly viewed by commentators here as “strange,” “odd,” and “bizarre,” if made to the question “is he paying lip service” to it) was about where does the abortion issue fit in his agenda, in other words what priority would he give it, and I think that it is important now and is growing in importance to him (that is the “journey” I was referring to).

Labels: abortion, Bopp, flip-flop, flipping

"The last four paragraphs combine answers to several questions creating the erroneous impression that I am uncertain about Romney's pro-life position. I am not. He is sincere about ending abortion and is not paying lip service to it. He will promote pro-life legislation, oppose pro-choice legislation (as he has as Governor) and appoint strict constructionist judges. My statement about his 'journey' was about what priority he would give it. It is important now and is growing in importance to him."

Labels: anti-mitt, Bopp

MMM: Why did you endorse Mitt Romney?

Bopp: I believe that Governor Romney is the best qualified person for President. He is a fiscal and social conservative, he has impressive administrative experience in the private, non-profit and public sectors, and he is a proven and successful politician.

MMM: Given Governor Romney's well documented statements on abortion in the past what would you say to pro-life leaders who remain concerned about Romney's commitment to the movement given his recent conversion to it.

Bopp: The pro-life movement is open to converts. Two of our most stalwart pro-life presidents, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, were converts. I believe that Governor Romney's conversion on the pro-life issue is sincere for three reasons. First, it was based on a real life pivot point, when Harvard researchers told him that there was no "moral issue" with embryonic stem cell research because they "destroy the embryos at 14 days." This had a profound effect on him.

Second, as Governor, he consistently pursued pro-life policies. He vetoed the bill providing state funding for embryonic stem cell research, he vetoed a bill that provided for the "morning after pill" without a prescription because it is an abortifacient, he vetoed legislation which would have redefined Massachusetts longstanding definition of the beginning of human life from fertilization to implantation, and he fought to promote abstinence education in the classroom. These actions as Governor, and others, have lead leaders of the most important social conservative groups in Massachusetts, including Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Massachusetts Family Institute and the Knights of Columbus, to observe that, while previous comments by Ronmey "are, taken by themselves, obviously worrisome to social conservatives including ourselves, they do not dovetail with the actions of Governor Romney from 2003 until now - and those actions positively and demonstrably impacted the social climate of Massachusetts." They conclude that Romney "demonstrat[ed] [his] solid social conservative credentials by undertaking" these actions, and has, therefore, "proven that he shares our values, as well as our determination to protect them."

Third, I have met with Governor Romney and asked him the questions that I think need answered. I am satisfied with his answers.

MMM:While Rudy Giuliani has obvious flaws for the Pro-life movement John McCain's are not as apparent.Why should pro-life voters care about the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act(BCFRA), or McCain-Feingold.

Bopp: While both Giuliani and McCain would be superior to any potential Democrat nominee, I have serious policy differences with each of them.

Senator McCain opposes the federal marriage amendment, supports embryonic stem cell research and was a ringleader of the Gang-of-14 compromise that made it easier for Democrats to block President Bush's judicial nominees. He voted against Bush's tax cuts, supports an amnesty plan for illegal immigrants, and supports the Kyoto-like restrictions on the American economy.

Finally, Senator McCain is the principal sponsor of the McCain-Feingold bill which imposes severe limits on the participation of citizens groups and political parties in our representative democracy. The pro-life movement should care about McCain-Feingold because it has seriously undermined our ability to accomplish our policy goals by making it much harder to influence public policy.

Labels: Bopp, Endorsements, pro-life, Romney

Saying that former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush were converts to as well, Bopp told LifeNews.com that the pro-life community "needs to be open to those who have a sincere conversion to the pro-life cause."

"When he was Governor and scientists were attempting to persuade him to support government funding of embryonic stem cell research, they said that there was no moral issue, because they destroy the embryos after 14 days," Bopp explained. "This hit him hard, how Roe v. Wade had cheapened life, and he publicly announced that he wanted to be considered pro-life."

He said a specific life-changing experience like Romney's is "persuasive."

Bopp also indicated that Romney's subsequent actions have affirmed his newfound pro-life stance.

"He vetoed the bill on embryonic stem cell research and some other efforts to liberalize the Massachusetts abortion law," Bopp said.

Ultimately, Bopp told LifeNews.com that a frank discussion of pro-life issues persuaded him.

"I have meet with him personally, discussed these issues with him and am satisfied that his pro-life position is sincere," he concluded.

Labels: abortion, Bopp, Endorsement, Right to Life