The campaign manager for Ron Paul is the latest to go after Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who decided against signing a pro-life pledge distributed by the Susan B. Anthony List.
Romney chose not to sign the pro-life pledge because he is concerned with one portion of it that his campaign says is meant to support legislation to de-fund abortions and the Planned Parenthood abortion business but that Romney worried would result in yanking taxpayer funding from hospitals. The Republican presidential candidate issued his own pledge on several pro-life points that he said he would follow if he becomes the GOP nominee and is elected president. 
Romney also released a pro-life statement of position at National Review.
“Given Governor Romney’s past flip-flops on the Right to Life issue and his support for Obamacare-like individual mandates, this stance is very troubling. Right to Life conservatives must question Gov. Romney’s commitment to our cause,” he said, according to the Huffington Post.
Benton said “advocates of individual Liberty and medicine based on the free market who want to get the federal government out of our health care should be alarmed that Gov. Romney is using the very same Big Government involvement that we are fighting against to justify his soft position.”
Responding for Romney, spokeswoman Andrea Saul told LifeNews, “Governor Romney pledged in the last campaign that he would be a pro-life president and of course he pledges it today.”
“However, this well intentioned effort has some potentially unforeseen consequences and he does not feel he could in good conscience sign it. Gov. Romney has been a strong supporter of the SBA List in the past and he looks forward to continue working with them to promote a culture of life,” she said. “The pledge calls for legislation to strip taxpayer funding from hospitals around the country, and strictly limits the choices a President would have to appoint cabinet members.”
Responding to Romney’s concerns, the SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said over the weekend, the hospital defunding claim is referring to “non-existent legislation that would defund hospitals as a reason not to sign.”
“Defunding hospitals has never been considered by Congress, is not part of public debate, and is not part of the pledge. 95 percent of abortions are performed outside of hospitals,” Dannenfelser said.
Michele Bachmann criticized Romney for not signing the pledge as did Rick Santorum.
As LifeNews.com reported, the Susan B. Anthony List unveiled the pledge on Friday and indicated Michelle Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul signed it. The pledge has the candidates promising to support only judicial nominees who won’t interpret the Constitution in a way that supports Roe v. Wade, select pro-life Cabinet members on positions affecting abortion policy, supporting legislation to stop taxpayer funding of abortions and Planned Parenthood, and to support a fetal pain bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The SBA List indicated pro-life businessman Herman Cain and pro-abortion former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson did not sign the pledge. Cain has released his own statement on why not, saying he can’t advance the pro-life bills de-funding Planned Parenthood as a member of Congress, though he could certainly employ the bully pulpit of the presidency to do so.
