Romney under fire for refusing to sign anti-abortion pledge

Mitt Romney is under fire from Republican rivals and pro-life activists after the 2012 GOP frontrunner declined to sign a sweeping anti-abortion pledge put forward by a conservative group.

The former Massachusetts governor refused to sign an anti-abortion petition sponsored by the Susan B. Anthony List, a group that supports pro-life candidates for office, on the grounds that the pledge's wording was too strict.

In an op-ed published in National Review, Romney defended his stance, insisting he shares the goals of the SBAL but questioning that the petition as worded would put federal funding for hospitals at risk.

"I am pro-life and believe that abortion should be limited to only instances of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother," Romney wrote. "I support the reversal of Roe v. Wade, because it is bad law and bad medicine. Roe was a misguided ruling that was a result of a small group of activist federal judges legislating from the bench."

But, Romney added, the group's "well-meaning pledge is overly broad and would have unintended consequences."

The SBAL petition calls for legislation to strip taxpayer funding from Planned Parenthood and "all other contractors and recipients of federal funds with affiliates that perform or fund abortions." According to Romney, that could potentially include hospitals.

"That's why I could not sign it," he wrote. "It is one thing to end federal funding for an organization like Planned Parenthood; it is entirely another to end all federal funding for thousands of hospitals across America. That is precisely what the pledge would demand and require of a president who signed it."

Romney was one of three 2012 hopefuls who refused to sign the pledge. Herman Cain opted out--saying Congress is required to advance an anti-abortion bill, not the president--while Gary Johnson refused to sign because he's pro-choice.

SBAL took issue with Romney's suggestion that the petition would put hospital funding at risk and suggested his refusal to sign the pledge "raises more questions than answers."

As the Boston Globe's Glen Johnson writes, Romney's decision is yet another chapter in his complicated history with abortion rights. In 1994, he indicated he was pro-choice during his bid to unseat Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy—a position he echoed during his 2002 bid for governor.

But during his 2008 presidential bid, Romney insisted his position had evolved—explaining that he had always been pro-life, but that he had become more so after meeting with an embryonic stem cell researcher who told him about human embryos being discarded. The practice, Romney said the time, was callous and "cheapened the value of human life."

But many conservatives were skeptical, questioning whether Romney was merely changing positions to win.

Over the weekend, Romney's GOP rivals pounced on his unwillingness to sign the SBAL pledge. Rick Santorum said it was "incredibly disappointing," and a spokeswoman for Michele Bachmann called the move "distressing."

"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," Bachmann spokeswoman Alice Stewart said in a statement.

(Photo of Romney: John Amis/AP)