“Romney’s conversion was less abrupt than is often portrayed. In his 1994 Senate run, Romney was endorsed by Massachusetts Citizens for Life and kept their endorsement, even though he declared himself to be pro-choice, because he supported parental-consent laws, opposed taxpayer-funded abortion and mandatory abortion coverage under a national health insurance plan, and was against the Freedom of Choice Act, which would have codified Roe v. Wade by federal statute.”
This is worth considering.
In 2002, Romney was vehemently attacked by his Pro-Choice Opponent, Shannon O’Brien about being weak on his “Pro-Choice credentials”. The Mass Citizens for Life endorsement was a major charge against him, and the Boston Globe went along with the accusations, and this whole thing culminated in that video that is going around Youtube now at the debate with Tim Russert. It was there that he made his famous Personally Pro-Life, Pro-Choice statement, and advocated a Moratorium on Abortion Law changes during his Governorship. (Which he followed throughout his tenure) I dont remember hearing much about Abortion after that, but that was after O’Brien was revealed to have switched her position from Pro-Life to Pro-Choice when she ran for Statewide office in the early 90’s. (Before then she was a Pro-Life catholic State Rep) Thus she couldnt really go after him anymore.
I had a smiliar conversion. I was raised Democrat (Yup, a rare breed among Mormons). I was taught the contradictory stance of personally pro-life but that others could choose by my Mother. (Democrats belive contradictory things sometimes, fancy that.) I voted for Bill Clinton. As I got older, thanks to my older brother, I converted to Repbulicanism (then to Conspiracy theory Constitutionalist, but that’s another story).
My Mormon faith actually helped in that conversion to decipher between pieces of my political ideology which were not congruent with my religious belief. My mom was a good Christlike woman but as the scriptures say, even the elect can be deceived.
I really do believe Romney’s conversion as it mirrors mine. God can line up little pieces or events in your life that bring you to new enlightenment, like a light turning on in a room. It is easy to see afterward where your life was not in line with God’s love, but when you are living in it is not always so easy to discern.
In his ecclesiastical roles in the past as a Bishop and Stake President, Romney counseled women not to have abortions. I think God lined up the stars for Him to come to an epiphany about the issue to bring his political understanding in line with his personal.
Romney has always tried to play both sides of the issue. In 1994 - which you cite -- he pandered to pro-lifers with the personally opposed nonsense and some restrictions, while pandering to pro-choicers by attacking Ted Kennedy from the LEFT on abortion (AND gays), saying Ted had once been pro-life but Mitt had always been consistently pro-abortion.
Mitt Romney's Conversion
"His pro-life turn is more recent than you think."
HINT: he claims to have had an epiphany in November 2004, around the time he decided to give up trying to run for reelection, and instead run for president.