E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
OSCEOLA, Iowa -- In what the Texas governor calls a "transformation," Rick Perry on Tuesday said that he has reversed his acceptance of abortion in some severe circumstances, saying that he now opposes the procedure even in cases of rape and incest.
Perry said the change came after seeing the "Gift of Life" film produced by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. He told an audience of Iowans at Clark Electric Co-op in Osceola that he was moved by the story of a woman who introduced the film during a screening earlier this month in Des Moines.
"She said, 'I am the product of rape.' And she said 'my life has worth,'" Perry said of his exchange with the woman. "It was a powerful moment."
The Texas governor made the statement in response to a question from Joshua Verwers, a pastor at Full Faith Christian Center in Chariton, who noted that Perry had recently signed a stringent Personhood USA pledge that urges signatories to oppose abortion "without exception and without compromise."
Candidates Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul have also signed the pledge.
Verwers said after the event that he was initially skeptical of Perry's flip on the position but that the governor's answer was "too perfect" and "sincere" to have come from anywhere but Perry's own heart.
"I do believe it was a sincere answer and that he has converted his position and that he would support personhood," the pastor told reporters.
Leave a Comment:
the key issue here is not abortion, but this mans critical thinking process. he based his decision on a single woman in a single movie. regardless of your stance on abortion, take a deep look into how he came to this decision. my human development theory is slippery, but at what level of reasoning do we stop making decision on one piece of information; especially ones that can harm or not harm many human beings lives.
What piece of information? Somebody told him this stance was a good idea to win the evangelical vote. This has nothing to do with sincerity.
now let me get this straight,,,,,,,,bfore he saw this movie,,,,,,,he was o.k. with an abortion,,,,
but now he is against such a thing,,, even if the baby is the result of a relative raping the mother.
he must have been having some pillow talk with that ditz "sara palin" this is her slant too,,
i would hate to admit a movie changed my mind on such an important issue.........................
I think the best parts of Rick Perry ran down his mommy's leg long ago.
ok, you got me on that one
What? If I say I eat mudpies and love them I will get the nod? Okay, I eat mudpies!!! Where are the keys to the White House? Idiot
Women will get abortions in "back alley clinics", bathrooms, back rooms of sleazy dirty places or in clean hospitals with doctors and nurses. Women have always had the "choice", these political idiots would simply be keeping them from HAVING THE CHOICE TO BE CLEAN AND SAFE. Women will die getting illegal abortions, so where is the right to life now? Why aren't these women's lives as important as the fetuses? It's like saying we like kittens but we don't like cats. Even better, after they deny women a choice, they will label them a criminal to go along with their already difficult situation. I don't care who you are, what race your are, or what economic range you fit into, most women go through emotional hell deciding to get an abortion. So let's let the politicians pile more on them. If men were the child bearers this wouldn't even be an issue. And I bet there would be far more abortions than there are now. To suggest that a woman or girl should give birth to a child of a rapist or a relative is barbaric. I bet if Rick Perry's wife or daughter was pregnant with a rapists child they would run to the nearest abortion clinic. It's so easy to dictate what other people should do when you don't have to experience it yourself. As long as there has been sex in the modern world there have been abortions in one form or another. It took me six years to finally get pregnant and I was thrilled. I did not want or need an abortion, but I was not a fourteen year old girl or a victim of rape or incest. I had the means to raise my child and I had food and shelter, and a good doctor. I had a wonderful family too. I was fortunate. Not everyone who gets pregnant has these things. It's funny how pregnancy makes some husbands and boyfriends disappear. It's too bad that all pregnant fourteen year old girls aren't equipped to give birth and care for a child. It's too bad that Daddy's and Uncle's and other relatives like to have sex with their teen girls. It's too bad that our judicial system allows rapists to live among us. And it's too bad that women are in danger of having their rights taken away by the likes of Rick Perry. Let's remember one last thing, WOMEN DON'T GET PREGNANT BY THEMSELVES. Birth control is not just for women.
Lisa - one of the basic characteristics of extremists (right or left) is an uncompromising nature; I am right and you are not. Yet another characteristic is that their ideas and solutions are not in line with the norms of society, not all encompassing, inconsiderate and therefore are not workable solutions.
All of the GOP hopefuls have signed a pledge with Personhood USA so you have to ask who are they representing Personhood or the people of this country. To me none of them are worth my vote, this is not an issue that will save our country.
Lisa, yes if it becomes necessary we women will get an abortion if we, as individuals want to. Back alley or in the Dr's office. the tea bagging POS will not stop it. All I know is that some SOB tells me I can't control my own reproduction rights, well, guess what, want to carry you bible when you tell me that? I will be carring either a 9mm or 40 cal.
And I will be aiming at your junk. Yep, that's right. Because I will make damn sure you won't cause any other female to have to make that decision. Hey, one step at a time, and sooner or later, you tea bagging idiots will learn. If it's the hard way, losing your junk, so be it. I could care less. No male is going to tell me what I can and can't do with my body.
If anyone has a problem with what I just said, well then please explain just who gave you permission to control my body? It is MY BODY, and I will do with it what I want to do. You can't handle the idea a female has their own ideas. Well, F you tea bagging POS, you just found one, and please, please knock on my door with your BS. You will leave my door step, NEUTERED. Yep, I will blow your junk away. That way, you cannot/will not be able to get any female in a family way.
Is there something in the water that causes everyone from Texas to be mental causes?
now that is really painting all Texans with a broad brush. I have family in Texas who dislikes him more than you do and they have even more reasons.
Abortion is a horrible thing. That being said, there are times that require horrible things to be done.
None of this matters. Rick Perry can say anything he wants but nobody is listening. He can say Elvis is alive. He can say the world is flat. He can say whatever. Who cares?? The guy gives new meaning to the very idea of stupid. He's going nowhere. He's the head moron in the collection of moronic Republican candidates.
Interestingly enough, all of the women I know that have had elective abortions did so either because the father took off or in one case the father threatened to dump her if she didn't have one. Geez, anyone notice that the more patriarchal a society the lower the standards for men? Must be nice to behave as you like, get to make decisions that don't affect you, and have no responsibility for anything. And if anyone thinks that half the people in these idiot politicians families haven't had abortions you're smoking something. Most people don't seem to grasp that the abortion argument has nothing to do with life; the biggest pro lifers have shown that they don't give a s--t about life: the mother's life has no worth, they like to start wars, they don't care to help support anyone that's here (unless they convert to Christianity and beg at the church), etc. This just has to do with control of women and the fact that a lot of men (and brainwashed women) don't like that a woman can now leave the kitchen. Keeping them barefoot and pregnant keeps them in the kitchen. Pathetic losers. Geez, as I read half of these comments I'm reminded of why Winston Churchill said that the best argument against democracy is a 5 minute conversation with the average voter.
Randi Rhodes is right. The pro-lifers should change their motto:
"Love the fetus - hate the child."
So if a 12 yr old gets raped and gets pregnant he would force her to have the baby knowing that she's 12!!!! and that having a baby could kill her?
So if a 12 yr old gets raped and gets pregnant he would force her to have the baby knowing that she's 12!!!! and that having a baby could kill her?
You don't really have to make a value judgement on abortion here...
What you have to do is realize that little texas ricky, is a mindless pandering parrot, who will say anything, at any time, to anybody to get support...
That he has been elected to run tex@ss numerous times, says more about tex@ss, than it does about little ricky.
Just sayin'
I'm disgusted with people who are all for "protecting" an unborn fetus, but will happily abandon the needs of a breathing child. If a child is getting any kind of government assistance, then the same people that want to make all abortions illegal, will gladly tell women they should not have had a child. What about the case where genetic testing shows a child will have health problems and extensive medical bills? The same no-abortions people don't want to pay higher insurance rates to cover the cost of such a child, and they certainly don't want the government to pick up the medical tab. They don't want legal abortions but they also don't want to deal with the problems if women were forced to carry all pregnancies to term.
In countries with strict laws against abortions, it's poor women that pay the price, not the rich and governments know this.
These kooks all say that until it happens to them or someone they know !! A very stupid attitude to have considering most americans don't even come close to agreeing on something like that. Typical politician with no backbone....!!
Safe, legal, affordable, & CANADIAN! Regardless of what transpires in the US, anyone who can get to Canada still has the right to make their own medical decisions.... so US law changes the equation only for the poorest who cannot afford to travel.
Bizarre that anyone believes they, or the State, have the right to make someone else's medical decisions! Its a right to privacy. If your body has no functioning womb, then you need to sit down & shut up. Mind your own uterus!
I am suprised that he isn't running with Palin. But who knows whats next? To bad he represents a great state like Texas. I guess thats what dehydration will do to voters.
Perry was also asked about abortion if the mother's life is seriously threatened if she tries to go through with the pregnancy. He didn't answer, I guess he's still undecided on that one!
He just couldn't fabricate another lie in his tiny little pea brain quickly enough. Give him until the middle of next week. Then he will come up with something acceptable to the slack-jawed goobers who vote for him.
BTW He flipped on this issue again, it was on the radio this morning.. Abortion is now ok to save the life of the mother.
Thank you for signing this pledge so we may better identify you FANATICAL NUTJOBS!
He is now saying this to cater to the crazies that vote Republican/TNutBagger....
You know if his own daughter was raped he would be singing a different tune...
He is desperate and running out of time and ideas, next he will say he will let all the illegals stay unless they murder someone.
Gov. Good Hair Perry the Pharisee would say and do anything to get elected....
If he thought it would win him votes, he would appear on American Idol, the X Factor, whatever and sing and tap dance....
MDH1949--
"It ain't a baby till it's born...until then its a fetus. And yes, it's OK to either nurture it or get rid of it.
Late term abortions ("partial birth" being the safest methodology) are usually only done when the mother's life or long term health is being threated."
Congratulations. You've crossed over genetically: you're a human pig.
What's really tragic is that fetuses/babies are killed at the whim of someone else, but you are allowed to live. Really should be the other way around.
Have some respect for life.
U gotta be male. What is really funny is to read post from men who insist women have babies when they NEVER have to worry about being held to the same standard.....typical male thought process.
Steve-2352647: You made a good point! Any politician, and I mean any person that is voted into any office to represent the people signs a pledge to anything but to represent the people should NOT BE ALLOWED to hold a political office. The Republicans have pledged this and that, but you notice that they refuse to represent the American people. Yes I know if they get elected that they pledge to represent the people, but that means they either lied on that pledge or lied on their previous pledge. So no matter how you look at it, they are lairs and the people who voted them into office know it!
What does that make the people who voted them into office? The ones that did Not voted them into office are pretty smart if you ask me! I just hope we have more smart people out there than dumb ones!