In 3 Min., Romney Takes 3 Different Positions On Whether Contraception Is Protected By Constitution

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from ThinkProgress: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/01/09/400281/romney-contraception-flip-flop/?mobile=nc

Jan 9, 2012 at 9:50 am

Last week, GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum claimed that a pair of Supreme Court decisions establishing the constitutional right to use contraception were wrongly decided. In Saturday’s GOP presidential candidates debate, moderator George Stephanopoulos asked former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) whether he agrees with Santorum. During the awkward three minutes that followed, Romney managed to give three completely different answers:

He Doesn’t Know: Romney initially pleaded ignorance, claiming “I don’t whether a state has a right to ban contraception” and even asking Stephanopoulous whether the Supreme Court has weighed in on this issue. As Stephanopoulous pointed out, however, it’s likely that Romney was merely feigning ignorance to avoid answering the question because he is a graduate of Harvard Law School and would have almost certainly read the Supreme Court’s contraception decisions while he was studying law.

Banning Contraception Would Require An Amendment: After Stephanopoulous reminded Romney of the Supreme Court’s decisions, Romney took an fairly absolutist view of support for past Supreme Court precedents, stating that the only way to overrule them is through a constitutional amendment: “I believe that the law of the land is as spoken by the Supreme Court, and that if we disagree with the Supreme Court…then we have a process under the Constitution to change that decision, and it’s known as the amendments process.”

The Court Did Not Decide The Contraception Cases Correctly: Finally, Stephanopoulous asked whether the Supreme Court correctly decided there is a right to privacy under the Constitution — this right to privacy was the basis of the Court’s initial decision protecting contraception. Romney replied that “I don’t believe that they decided that correctly,” and explained that the kind of justices he supports “might well decide to return this issue to states instead of saying it is in the federal Constitution.”

Watch it:

[WI_DEM]

1. Obama has got to make an devastating ad against Romney

showing him taking multiple sides of almost every issue.

[liberal N proud]

2. I guess you have to cover all the viewpoints and hope each group only hears the one directed at them

It gives his proponets 3 soundbytes to use depending on what group they targeting.

He is covered!

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3. that's exactly right

say anything to win . . . that's our challenge against these republicans. We need to nail them down.

[Bandit]

4. I don't get the contradictions you seem to find.

He said he wasn't aware of a Supreme Court case on the matter but if there indeed was one, the only way it could be overturned is by Amendment process. He then said he did not agree with their decision. I find no contradiction in those statements...Don't conclude that I in any way support Romney, just because I do support Logic...

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7. well he just lied in the first response

That's not a legitimate part of his other answers, it's just a dodge and a lie.

In fact, in the second answer, he appears to know what the state of the issues is with the courts, despite the host's prodding and despite feigning ignorance. He postures as if he agrees that the question is a done deal and the issue of contraception can only be reversed by a constitutional amendment. I guess he wanted to argue his position on the issue is basically moot.

Then he says he disagrees with the courts on the issue of privacy, stating he'd appoint justices who would send the question back to the states. Not much support there. In fact, he practically gives support there for allowing states to ban contraceptives if they want.

[bullwinkle428]

8. He said he supported the "Personhood amendment" in Mississippi, and showed himself to be clueless

when a woman at a town hall meeting explained to him that it would ban many forms of birth control for women. Later, he was asked a question about birth control, and seemed to emphatically state that he was against any form of legislation that would actually ban any form of birth control.

[XemaSab]

5. I never understood why the Republicans hate Romney before that answer

I was left with no idea at all on where he stands on that issue, or any other issue.

[bullwinkle428]

6. The Obama campaign should be generating a literal encyclopedia of copious notes at this point.

[AlinPA]

9. The fact that they are arguing about this shows how far out of the mainstream they are. Crazy

people.