John McCain Blasts Mitt Romney on Abortion, But He Flip-Flopped Too

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jan 9, 2008   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

John McCain Blasts Mitt Romney on Abortion, But He Flip-Flopped Too Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 9,
2008

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — The presidential campaign now heads to Michigan with Iowa and New Hampshire in the rear view mirror and GOP hopeful John McCain criticized Mitt Romney on abortion. However, his comments ignored the fact that he has flip-flopped on whether or not the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling should be overturned.

"For 24 years, I’ve been pro-life. I’ve never changed for any reason,” McCain told reporters on Wednesday, implicitly criticizing Romney.

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, ran as a pro-abortion candidate and only changed his position in recent years.

According to the web site Politico, McCain told reporters aboard his plane that he would connect with conservative voters in upcoming states by pointing out that he has always been comfortable voting pro-life.

"I’ll also try to make them remember that my social conservative record has been consistent and unchanging," he added.

However, while McCain has voted consistently against abortion as an Arizona senator, he has come under fire for switching his position on Roe.

As LifeNews.com previously reported, McCain has claimed he did not flip-flop when he told an audience that he favored reversing Roe v. Wade. Yet, eight years ago he told a newspaper he didn’t think the landmark abortion case should be overturned.

“I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned,” McCain said last February.

"It is a false claim to say that I have changed my position," McCain said in a press conference following the event.

However, McCain appeared then to be changing his position from a 1999 statement he gave to the San Francisco Chronicle in which he said he didn’t support repealing Roe.

"I’d love to see a point where it is irrelevant, and could be repealed because abortion is no longer necessary," McCain told the newspaper at the time. "But certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations."

McCain has also drawn jeers from the pro-life community for repeatedly voting to force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research.