The abortion Mitt doesn't talk about anymore

Salon ^ | August 8, 2011 | Justin Elliot

[LonelyCon]

His young relative died tragically in an illegal abortion in 1963: Her untold story -- and what it means for Romney

In a 1994 Senate debate with Ted Kennedy, Mitt Romney revealed a startling chapter from his past: A close relative had died many years earlier in a botched illegal abortion, shaping Romney's stance in favor of safe and legal access to abortion for all women. But in the many years since that revelation, even as Romney flipped his position and became an ardent opponent of legal abortion, the details of his young relative's story, including even her name, have never been reported.

The relative he was referring to back in '94, Salon has learned, was a Detroit woman named Ann Keenan. She was the sister of Romney's brother-in-law and died at the age of 21 in 1963, a full decade before Roe v. Wade. While much of what happened remains murky, an investigation by Salon has uncovered never-reported details about her life and death, including: how she died (an infection); that her grief-stricken parents asked for memorial donations to be made to Planned Parenthood; and that the family apparently wanted to keep the death quiet because Romney's politically ambitious father, George, was then governor of Michigan.

...The episode is a window into an era when obtaining an abortion meant the real risk of serious injury or death. It also represents a key part of Romney's political journey on the issue of abortion, which has more than any other tarred him as a flip-flopper.

...The candidate himself said, "I hadn't thought much about" abortion until the relative's death, but that it "obviously makes one see that regardless of one's beliefs about choice, that you would hope it would be safe and legal."

[LonelyCon]

Sounds like this isn't necessarily new information, but it was new to me. Sorry if I wasn't paying close attention to Massachusetts state politics in 1994 :)

[Jim Robinson]

Romney is a mandate loving, abortionist, statist POS!

[Sybeck1]

Preach it!!

[P-Marlowe]

Romney is a mandate loving, abortionist, statist POS!

Don't sugar coat it. Tell it like it is.

[nascarnation]

an investigation by Salon has uncovered never-reported details about her life and death, including: how she died (an infection); that her grief-stricken parents asked for memorial donations to be made to Planned Parenthood; and that the family apparently wanted to keep the death quiet because Romney's politically ambitious father, George, was then governor of Michigan.

Interesting how they have interest in this, and the status of Joe the plumber Wurzelbacher's trade license, and the DNA of Palin's Down Syndrome child.

And avoid completely the ghostly past of Baraq Obama.

[Jim Robinson]

Can’t help it. Whenever I see his face I see the face of pure evil.

Here he is preaching the joys of abortion, even for under age girls without parental consent if she gets a judge’s approval. And, he crows, that approval has never been refused.

http://youtu.be/P_w9pquznG4

[Tamar1973]

....5,000 women died per year from illegal abortions in the United States...

My grandmother's SIL pull a similar stunt (attempting to self induce an abortion through incredible means) in the late 1940's and died of similar complications to Ms. Keenan's.

However, the statistic above got me to thinking. (Be Careful when I start thinking.) If abortion had never been made legal, and this statistic had held static since 1973, about 190,000 women would have died in the past 38 years due to botched abortions (whether self-induced or performed by quacks and hacks).

Compared to the approximately 50,000 American babies killed since Roe v. Wade. Every human life is precious but I can't see how saving the lives of women who want to murder their own babies in the name of convenience justifies these babies deaths. Not worth the trade off, IMO.

[Tamar1973]

...50 million... (forgot to add three more zeros)

[Indy Pendance]

Mitt can NOT be our McCain! Period.

[dools0007world]

I wouldn’t believe Romney if he told me he was male. He’s the dumb pol who recently said he can’t prove climate change (aka global warming), but he believes its true.

His play for the abortionist vote and Romneycare paint this guy as a flaming RINO. Hello GOP—Tea Party Conservatives will not vote for him. You done that trick once too often.

[Faith]

Before legalization, the figure of 10,000 deaths per year due to abortion was thrown around before numerous committees in Congress and elsewhere. Where did that figure come from? Dr. Bernard Nathanson was on the board of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL—now called the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League). Nathanson, who was responsible for the performance of some 60,000 abortions, was asked that question.

He said, “We made it up. We thought it would impress the committees.” . . .

What was the reality? In 1967 there were 160 estimated maternal deaths from illegal abortions. In 1972 the figure was only 39. This is a far cry from the thousands claimed by pro-abortion forces . . .

TRUTH FOR LIES (D. James Kennedy) pp. 8-9

[Figment]

“In a 1994 Senate debate with Ted Kennedy, Mitt Romney revealed a startling chapter from his past”

Romney in a senate debate with teddy the swimmer in 1994?

[Jim Robinson]

Abortion is safe for everyone except the innocent baby.

[Jim Robinson]

Yes, and he ran to the LEFT of Kennedy.

[brytlea]

Thank you, that number is a lot more believable.

[xzins]

55 million babies murdered by Roe v Wade liberals like Romney. However, just to set the facts straight, far more have WOMEN have died of botched abortions since Roe v Wade than ever died of same prior to RvW:

For starters:

Search: Botched abortions at 17 weeks

• Sarah Niebel was 15 years old when her 17-week abortion at Midtown Hospital killed her.
  
  
• Donna Roe was 19 years old when she died from a safe and legal prostaglandin abortion in 1973.
  
  
• Sheila Watley died of a pulmonary embolism from her 17-week abortion in 1987.
  
  
• High school senior Christine Mora was one of the dozen women I know of who died from abortions at Family Planning Associates Medical Group.
  
  
• Kevine and Julie both suffered botched 17-week abortions performed by Aleksander Jakubowski.
  
  
• Teen April Roe is one of the rash of young women who died in New York of botched saline abortions after the state legalized outpatient abortion on demand in 1970.
  
  
• Diana S. lost her kidney during a 17-week abortion.
  
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[Figment]

Thanks. Not that I needed another reason to not support the guy.

[newzjunkey]

Fascinating. Compare less than 200 per year in illegal abortion deaths to 50,000,000 lives ended since Roe vs. Wade. It's not even comparable.

Bernard Nathanson is a Heinrich Himmler of abortion.

[Boogieman]

“...The candidate himself said.... it “obviously makes one see that regardless of one’s beliefs about choice, that you would hope it would be safe and legal.””

Why in the world would a story about a murderess dying as a direct result of her own crime make me want to legalize murder and make it safe for the murderers?

A person who could make a statement like that, I would not trust them to be my babysitter, much less my president.

[Boogieman]

“Hello GOP—Tea Party Conservatives will not vote for him.”

Exactly. I hear a lot of people saying that Mittens is the only Republican candidate that can beat Obama in the general. On the contrary, nominating Mitt would guarantee a second term for Obama, since Republican turn would probably be worse than 2008.