[First update posted 9:43 PM, Tuesday, July 26]
Memorial of Ss. Joachim and Anne
Following a veto a couple of months ago on an assembly-line approach to embryonic stem cell research, including cloning (cap tip: Stem Cell Extremist), Gov. Romney has made headlines again (NYT FRR, I think) by vetoing a bill that would expand access to the so-called "morning-after" pill (including to girls under 18), insisting that its abortifacient properties would extend the state's abortion laws, and violate a campaign promise.
There are, of course, responses that the governor is trying to make time with the conservative wing of the Republican party in preparation for a presidential run, which is given some credence by Mr. Romney's op-ed in the Boston Globe, where he asserts his pro-life credentials:
I understand that my views on laws governing abortion set me in the minority in our Commonwealth. I am prolife. 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. But while the nation remains so divided over abortion, I believe that the states, through the democratic process, should determine their own abortion laws and not have them dictated by judicial mandate.Before authentic pro-lifers get too excited, however, there is his standing concession of being in favor of embryonic stem cell research using "leftover" embryos from fertility clinics with the parents' permission. Here is the Predictable contradiction: The governor claims that life begins at conception and that the practice of ending that life before birth in his state ought not to be expanded, unless that is, apparently, somebody wants to experiment on it.
Update:
Gov. Romney was interviewed by Hugh Hewitt tonight. Look for the transcript at Radioblogger.
Update 2:
Zenit has more on several legal battles brewing around the morning-after pill.
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