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Angie Drobnic Holan
By Angie Drobnic Holan October 17, 2007

Pro-choice is his record, but not his position

Mitt Romney acknowledges that he has not always opposed abortion.

When he ran for office in Massachusetts -- unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 1994 and successfully for governor in 2002 -- he often said he supported abortion rights. There are numerous examples to choose from, we'll look at two of his more plain-spoken statements here:

"I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country," Romney said in a 1994 debate with Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy. "I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years we should sustain and support it."

In a 2002 debate, Romney said there was no difference between his views and that of his Democratic opponent, Shannon P. O'Brien. "I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose. I will not change any provisions of Massachusetts pro-choice laws,'' he said.

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In 2007, Romney says his views have changed. "And I get tired of people that are holier than thou because they've been pro-life longer than I have," he said at a Republican debate on Aug. 5, 2007.

( Politifact looked at Romney's abortion record previously; check out that story here .)

The sly TV ad from the Log Cabin Republicans merely states, "A pro-choice record," leaving out a verb like "has" or "had." The ad could do a better job at pointing out that Romney no longer stands by his pro-choice record, but it doesn't want to. The whole point is to shine a light on where Romney once stood on abortion. His record on abortion is not entirely pro-choice, given his current position opposing abortion rights. That's why we find this attack Mostly True.

Our Sources

The Log Cabin Republicans, "Romney's Real Record," Oct. 4, 2007.

Massachusetts Telegram and Gazette, "Debaters brawl on taxes and abortion; Candidates jab, accuse, deride," Oct. 30, 2002.

The Boston Globe, "The Kennedy-Romney Debates: Debate Excerpts," Oct. 26, 1994.

ABC News, Debate Transcript, Aug. 5, 2007.

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Pro-choice is his record, but not his position

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