Dems press Romney on 'personhood'

Letter I rec'vd from Democrats.org

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Mitt Romney has taken a position that every woman in this country should know about:

When asked on Fox News whether he would have supported a "personhood" constitutional amendment, Mitt said, "Absolutely."

"Personhood" amendments are the notorious measures now being considered in states like Mississippi, Florida, and Ohio, that would elevate a fertilized human egg to the status of a legal person. They would ban IUDs, the morning-after pill, in-vitro fertilization, and all abortions -- with no exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest or in cases where the life of a woman is at stake.

In other words, a leading candidate for the GOP nomination for president is on the record in favor of a law that would classify literally all abortions -- and even many forms of birth control -- as murder.

To be clear: This is the most radical position any of the Republican candidates have taken on this issue, and may be the most radical position any of them have taken on any substantive issue in the race for the nomination so far.

Mitt has an uncanny ability to change course depending on the day, so we put together a video to show exactly where he stands on a woman's right to choose -- whether she's choosing emergency contraception, or to save her own life.

Watch it, and then say you'll be with us in holding him accountable.

Romney, who has held a variety of positions on abortion in his 17 years of running for public office, presumably understands the implications of criminalizing birth control and abortion.

If he wants to be in the national spotlight, if he thinks he deserves to be trusted with the highest political office on the planet, he has to be willing to take responsibility for his words and the consequences of the policies he claims to support.

This is so much bigger than his political calculations. It's literally a life-or-death proposition, and it's not limited to Mississippi, Ohio, or Florida. Personhood amendments like the one in Mississippi are a direct affront to the federal right to privacy afforded by Roe vs. Wade.

If Romney wants to take the position that abortion and birth control are equal to murder, that's up to him. But we'll hold him accountable for it, and not let anyone forget that he's made the choice to go this far to the right on this issue:

http://my.democrats.org/Hold-Mitt-Accountable

I'll report back soon,

--Patrick

Patrick Gaspard
Executive Director
Democratic National Committee