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As the 2008 Presidential Election approaches, candidates are trying to persuade the American public to vote for them. The candidates use their views on certain points in society such as Gay Rights and Abortion. Mitt Romney from Massachusetts is one of the candidates for this election. Romney's views on Gay Rights and Abortion are controversial to some and exactly what others want.
In 1994, as Romney was running for a place on the US Senate, he “had expressed gay-friendly positions” (Source 1). In this upcoming election, Romney “support[s] the federal effort for traditional marriage, defining marriage as a relationship between a man and woman” (Source 5) thus not allowing gays to marry. He believes that "when people have a commitment to one another, either a heterosexual or homosexuals relationship, that they should have the benefit of visitation rights and leave privileges and things of that nature” (Source 5). He believes that gays should be able to visit one another, however he opposes them serving in the military and being in “civil unions” (Source 5). He is also unsure about what health care these people should receive. Recently, Romney has started to feel that the choice of rights for gays should be left up to the state’s legislature.
This strict stance on gay rights puzzles some. An article was published in The Boston Globe regarding this exact subject. This article is titled “New Questions on Romney’s Stance on Gays” (Source 7). The writer of this article is unsure whether Romney is taking this stance to get votes or because he actually feels this is what would be best. The article states that Romney “had expressed gay-friendly positions while running for the US Senate in 1994” (Source 7) while now he says that gays should not be allowed to get married or serve their country in the military or in civil unions. A piece of a letter was previously published in The New York Times from Romney to a senator in 1994. This letter quoted Romney as writing, “We must make equality for gays and lesbians a mainstream concern” (Source 8) showing his view that gays should have equal rights while supporting a gay rights support club. These mixed views that Romney has shown could cost him votes in this presidential election.
In 1994, Romney believed “that abortion should be safe and legal in this country” (Source 6) but as the elections are nearing he is reconsidering his views. He would now “like to see Roe v. Wade overturned” (Source 6) which gave the choice of abortion regulation to the individual states but still feels that it is a state issue. He “strongly opposes” the “late term abortions” (Source 5) but feels that women that are raped should be entitled to an abortion sponsored by the state if the women wants it. He feels that the state and federal government should agree, democratically, what to do about abortion.
The public believes that “Romney is hardening his opposition to abortion” and that his “anti-abortion views have ‘evolved and deepened’ since he took office” (Source 4). The conservatives believe he has “a strong and consistent stand” while some critics believe that his decisions on abortion are now “more to do with politics than morality” (Source 4). Some believe that Romney will be a good president because even though “his brother-in-law's sister _ an engaged-to-be-married teen who became pregnant_ died in a botched illegal abortion” (Source 7), he still doesn’t want to ban abortion completely.
Many believe that Romney is a “flip-flopping panderer” (Source 3) because he has changed his views on abortion multiple times throughout his career in politics. They believe this because up until a few years before running for president he changed from pro-abortion to anti-abortion. Later he decided to change his mind again. Now he feels that the states and government should confer and create an agreement on what would be the most democratic and constitutional way to handle the issue of abortion. Many believe that he changed his views to get more votes. This inability to take a firm stance may have cost him votes from those who want to see a candidate who can be consistent. CNN recently posted an article on their website bringing up this same concern. This article states that there is a “video” that “indicates the former Massachusetts governor supported maintaining abortion rights in his state six months after he opposed such rights” (Source 2).
Presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney has views that are appealing to some but are not to others. This is a problem that all presidential candidates must face while campaigning. They have the dilemma of either sticking true to what they feel is morally right or trying to come up with another stance that could help them receive more votes. This is a hard decision for most, as anyone who does research on the presidential candidates can see. In this country, the presidential candidates are attacked for their views whether they go against their true beliefs or not.
Bibliography:
1. "American Culture & Values: Confronting Threats to American Culture, Values, and Freedoms." Mitt Romney: True Strength For America's Future. 2008. Romney For President, Inc. 06 Feb 2008
2. "McCain camp challenges Romney's anti-abortion stance." CNN.com. 2007. CNN. 06 Feb. 2008
3. "Mitt Romney's Abortion Views." RightPundits.Com. 28 Jan 2008. 06 Feb 2008
4. "Mitt Romney: My Abortion Views Have 'Evolved'." NewsMax.Com. 2005. NewsMax.Com. 7 Feb 2008
5. "Mitt Romney on Gay Rights." Glassbooth Election 2008. 2007. Glassbooth. 06 Feb 2008
6. "Mitt Romney." Politics. 2008. The New York Times Company. 06 Feb 2008
7. "Mitt Romney Says He Opposes Abortion." msnbc. 07 Feb 2007. Microsoft. 06 Feb 2008
8. "New questions on Romney's stance on gays." boston.com. 09 Dec 2006. The New York Times Company. 06 Feb 2008
9. "Romney’s Gay Rights Stance Draws Ire." New York Times. 08 Dec. 2006. The New York Times Company. 06 Feb 2008
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