Romney Campaign Press Release - Research Briefing: Promoting A Culture Of Life: The Romney Vision Vs. The Democrat Vision

"What 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." - Gov. Mitt Romney (Gov. Mitt Romney, Remarks At The Massachusetts Citizens For Life Dinner, 5/10/07)

THE LIFE ISSUE

Governor Romney Chooses Life:

Gov. Romney Is Pro-Life And Believes "Abortion Is The Wrong Choice." (Governor Mitt Romney, Op-Ed, "Why I Vetoed The Contraception Bill," The Boston Globe, 7/26/05)

Gov. Mitt Romney: "I am pro-life. I believe that abortion is the wrong choice except in cases of incest, rape, and to save the life of the mother. I wish the people of America agreed, and that the laws of our nation could reflect that view." (Gov. Mitt Romney, Op-Ed, "Why I Vetoed Contraception Bill," The Boston Globe, 7/26/05)

- Gov. Romney Vetoed Legislation That Would Have Provided For The "Morning After Pill" Without A Prescription. (Gov. Mitt Romney, Op-Ed, "Why I Vetoed The Contraception Bill," The Boston Globe, 7/26/05)

- Gov. Romney Vetoed Legislation That Would Have Changed The Longstanding Definition Of The Beginning Of Human Life From Fertilization To Implantation. (Gov. Mitt Romney, Letter To The Massachusetts State Senate And House Of Representatives, 5/12/05)

- Gov. Romney Promoted Abstinence Education In The Classroom. (Office Of Gov. Mitt Romney, "Romney Announces Award Of Abstinence Education Contract," Press Release, 4/20/06)

- Gov. Romney Supports Parental Notification Laws And Opposed Efforts To Weaken Them. (John McElhenny, "O'Brien And Romney Spar In Last Debate Before Election," The Associated Press, 10/29/02)

The Democrats Choose Abortion:

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) Brags Of Her Work To Support Abortion. "When it comes to each woman's ability to make the most personal of life decisions, Hillary has stood firm as an advocate for a woman's right to choose. ... She spoke out forcefully against the Supreme Court's April 2007 decision that - for the first time in decades - failed to recognize the importance of women's health." (Hillary For President Website, www.hillaryclinton.com, Accessed 6/12/07)

- NARAL Gave Sen. Clinton A 100% Rating For Her Votes In The 109th Congress. (NARAL Pro-Choice America Website, www.prochoiceamerica.org, Accessed 6/12/07)

- Planned Parenthood Gave Sen. Clinton A 100% Rating. (Planned Parenthood Action Fund Website, www.ppaction.org, Accessed 6/12/07)

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) Praised The Pro-Abortion Group EMILY's List For Sending Pro-Abortion Candidates To Congress. OBAMA: "Thank you for inviting me here today and thank you to EMILY's List for all you've done to forever change the face of women in politics. Your efforts haven't just sent women to Congress, you've sent champions - champions for the right to choose..." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks Of Senator Barack Obama At Emily's List Annual Luncheon, Washington, DC, 5/11/06)

- NARAL Gave Sen. Obama A 100% Rating For His Votes In The 109th Congress. (NARAL Pro-Choice America Website, www.prochoiceamerica.org, Accessed 6/12/07)

- Planned Parenthood Gave Sen. Obama A 100% Rating. (Planned Parenthood Action Fund Website, www.ppaction.org, Accessed 6/12/07)

Sen. Edwards "Supports A Federal Freedom Of Choice Act Codifying Roe V. Wade Into Federal Law." (John Edwards For President Website, http://johnedwards.com/women/index.html, Accessed 6/12/07)

PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION

Gov. Romney Supports The Supreme Court's Decision Upholding A Partial Birth Abortion Ban:

Gov. Romney Praised The Decision Upholding A Partial-Birth Abortion Ban. "Today, our nation's highest court reaffirmed the value of life in America by upholding a ban on a practice that offends basic human decency. This decision represents a step forward in protecting the weakest and most innocent among us." (Gov. Mitt Romney, "Statement On Supreme Court's Partial Birth Abortion Ruling," Press Release, 4/18/07)

The Democrats Condemned The Decision:

Sen. Clinton Decried The Supreme Court's Gonzalez V. Carhart Decision, Calling It An "Erosion Of... Constitutional Rights." (Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, "Statement Of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton On Supreme Court's Gonzales v. Carhart Decision," Press Release, 4/18/07)

Sen. Obama: "I Strongly Disagree With Today's Supreme Court Ruling, Which Dramatically Departs From Previous Precedents Safeguarding The Health Of Pregnant Women." (Klaus Marre, "Giuliani Joins GOP Praise For Abortion Decision," The Hill, 4/18/07)

Sen. Edwards: "I Could Not Disagree More Strongly With Today's Supreme Court Decision." (John Edwards For President, "Edwards Statement On Supreme Court Ruling On Federal Abortion Ban," Press Release, 4/18/07)

EMBRYO-DESTRUCTIVE STEM CELL RESEARCH

Gov. Romney Opposes The Creation Of Embryos For Stem Cell Research:

Gov. Romney: "I Believe That Science Is Able To Receive The Stem Cells Necessary For Research Through Means That Don't Represent A Serious, Moral Problem." (Henry C. Jackson, "Romney Defends Position On Stem Cells," The Associated Press, 2/19/07)

- Governor Romney: "I do not favor, if you will, what is known as embryo farming, taking donor sperm, donor eggs, putting them together in the laboratory, and creating new embryos." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 10/17/06)

Gov. Romney's Pro-Life Position Is Rooted In The Stem Cell Debate. ROMNEY: "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." (Gov. Mitt Romney, Op-Ed, "Why I Vetoed Contraception Bill," The Boston Globe, 7/26/05)

In 2005, Gov. Romney Vetoed A Stem Cell Bill Because It Permitted Cloning Of Human Embryos For Research. "Gov. Mitt Romney vetoed a bill Friday to expand stem cell experiments in Massachusetts because it would allow the cloning of human embryos - a practice he has called morally wrong. ... But he has urged lawmakers to ban cloning, because extracting the stem cells destroys the embryos. He has said that amounts to creating human life only to destroy it. 'It is wrong to allow science to take an assembly line approach to the production of human embryos, the creation of which will be rooted in experimentation and destruction,' Romney wrote in a letter to lawmakers explaining the veto." (Theo Emery, "Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney Vetoes Stem Cell Bill," The Associated Press, 5/27/05)

- Governor Romney: "Calling this process 'somatic cell nuclear transfer,' or conveniently dismissing the embryo as a mere 'clump of cells,' cannot disguise the reality of what occurs: A genetically complete human embryo is brought into being. It is manipulated and experimented upon like so much research material. And then that emerging life is destroyed and discarded.'" (Governor Mitt Romney, Op-Ed, "The Problem With The Stem Cell Bill," The Boston Globe, 3/6/05)

The Democrats Advocate The Destruction Of Human Embryos For Stem Cell Research:

Sens. Clinton And Obama Co-Sponsored Legislation To Expand Taxpayer-Funded Embryonic Stem Cell Research. "... Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois co-sponsored the Senate bill that would expand the number of embryonic stem-cell lines eligible for federally funded research." (Nicole Gaouette, "Senate Strongly Rejects Bush's Curbs On Stem-Cell Research," Los Angeles Times, 4/12/07)

Sen. Clinton Hailed The Recent Passage Of The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act Of 2007. CLINTON: "I applaud the House passage of this vital bill that holds promise for millions of Americans, and urge the president to reconsider his threat to veto this legislation." (Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, "Sen. Clinton Issues Statement On House Passage Of Stem Cell Research Legislation," Press Release, 6/7/07)

Sen. Obama Also Praised The Bill And Encouraged The Use Of Human Embryos In Research. OBAMA: "I stand in full support of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act... I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill. ... We should expand and accelerate research using these embryos..." (Sen. Barack Obama, "Obama Renews Support for Embryonic Stem Cell Research," Press Release, 4/11/07)

Sen. Edwards Supports Taxpayer-Funded Embryonic Stem Cell Research. EDWARDS: "It's time for President Bush to be honest with the American people and admit he was wrong on the issue of stem cell research. ... A growing number of Americans from across the country and members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have joined together to support expanding stem cell research." (John Edwards For President, "Edwards Calls For President Bush To Support Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act," Press Release, 4/11/07)

THE SUPREME COURT

Gov. Romney Supports Strict Constructionist Judges:

Gov. Romney: Roberts And Alito "Exactly The Kind Of Justices America Needs." ROMNEY: "I think the justices that President Bush has appointed are exactly spot-on. I think Justice Roberts and Justice Alito are exactly the kind of justices America needs." ("Romney On Judges: Follow Bush's Lead," Red State Blog, www.redstate.com)

Gov. Romney: "If A Judge Substitutes His Or Her Values For Those Values That Were Placed In The Constitution, They Do So At Great Peril To The Culture Of Our Entire Land." (Scott Helman, "Romney Rips SJC's Justices On Values," The Boston Globe, 11/11/05)

The Democrats Attack Strict Constructionists:

Sen. Clinton Blasted The Alito Nomination, Saying "He Would Roll Back Decades Of Progress." (Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, "Statement Of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton On The Nomination Of Samuel Alito," Press Release, 1/27/06)

While Sen. Obama Had "No Doubt" About Justice Roberts' Qualifications For The Supreme Court, He Still Voted Against His Confirmation. "The bottom line is this: I will be voting against John Roberts' nomination. I do so with considerable reticence. I hope that I am wrong." (Sen. Barack Obama, "Remarks Of Senator Barack Obama On The Confirmation Of Judge John Roberts," Press Release, 9/22/05)

Sen. Edwards Called Judge Alito "Way Out Of The Mainstream" And "Dangerous." (John Edwards For President Website, http://johnedwards.com/news/newsletter/alito20060112/index.html, Accessed 6/12/07)