Romney Changes Hospital Contraception Rules

[Judi Lynn]

Romney Changes Hospital Contraception Rules
Massachusetts Governor Scraps Emergency Contraception Exception for Catholic Hospitals
By GLEN JOHNSON Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press

BOSTON Dec 8, 2005 — Gov. Mitt Romney abandoned plans Thursday to exempt Roman Catholic and other private hospitals from a new law requiring them to dispense emergency contraception to rape victims.

Romney had initially backed regulations proposed earlier this week by his public health commissioner, Paul Cote Jr., who said the new law conflicted with an older law barring the state from forcing private hospitals to dispense contraceptive devices or information.

The Republican governor, who is considering a run for president in 2008, said he asked his legal advisers to review the matter after members of both parties criticized the regulations. He said the lawyers determined that the new law superseded the old law and that all hospitals should be required to offer the so-called "morning-after pill."

"On that basis I have instructed the Department of Public Health to follow the conclusion of my own legal counsel and to adopt that sounder view," Romney said.
(snip/...)

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1387750

[MsKandice01]

1. The fundies are gonna FLIP!! n/t

[elfin]

2. Oooh - He REALLY thinks he can be Prez

to try to triangulate so early to seem "moderate." Ala - My hands were tied, those nasty lawyers made me do it - but you truly know how I feel. Also - if he had stuck to what he really wants, his state would have hi9m tarred and feathered before any primaries begin. Whatta jerk.

[TaleWgnDg]

3. Wait . . . wait . . . wait . . .

.
1.) When Mitt Romney (R, Massachusetts) first ran for governor of Massachusetts, he stated he was pro-choice. Yup. Quoting his own mother (deceased) on the subject. BTW, Romney is a Mormon as is his family of origin and his wife and kids.

2.) Then when Romney got elected as governor of Massachusetts from whence he sniffed the presidential waters . . . he flipped to become anti-abortion. Yup. Telling all the red states how terrific he was about "God's" stuff. Also telling the red states how horrible it is in liberal Massachusetts. Romney became anti-stem cell research, despite his own wife's illness, as well as anti-gay marriage. Very outspoken but only when in a red state. Whaddaguy!

3.) Then our state legislature passed a bill that granted authority to dispense the so-called "morning-after pill" in all Massachusetts hospitals, specifically its legislative intent was not to grant exception rights to religious hospitals or other Massachusetts private hospitals to refuse to dispense this contraceptive device.

4.) Then the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (executive branch) opined that an earlier Massachusetts law granted Roman Catholic and other private hospitals the right not to dispense the "morning-after pill." And, Romney agreed that the morning-after pill should not be dispensed at Roman Catholic Hospitals and other private hospitals who object.

5.) Romney once again does a 180 degree flip . . . now Romney says that he thinks the morning-after pill should be dispensed by all Massachusetts hospitals, private and public, religious or not, in agreement w/ Attorney General Thomas Reilly who, more than likely, would have run into state court to file a complaint for an injunctive stop order to stop Romney's stupidity. Ooooops, Mittens made another mistake of law.

"AAaaaahhhhhhhh, politics. Politics and religion and politics. Never should they mix." -- Thomas Jefferson (okay, he didn't say those exact words but something like that).
.

[MannyGoldstein]

4. This is Major

Romney is evil, but he's smart, connected, and well-behaved. He wouldn't be backing down on this unless he was absolutely sure that the Wingnut Brigade was in the process of getting launched out of the center of the Rethuglican Party.

This is vary good news.

[Loonman]

5. Romney is a douche

Plain and simple.

[Ilsa]

6. I find it amazing that fundies are willing to trade their

values for more political points. I thought they said they were above all of that.

On the other hand, I'm glad that rape victims in MA don't have to hospital shop when trying to get emergency treatment.

[MountainLaurel]

7. Above that?

You've never hung around fundies much, have you? They'd sell their mothers if it got them the power they want.

[Ilsa]

8. I guess the ones I've known have been apolitical

on a personal level. Some of them were dispicable with respect to other issues, including hypocrisy on their marriage vows, personal greed, abortion on demand for themselves, use of pornography, and the list goes on and on.