Romney assures Republican base he would be a 'pro-life president'
Republican candidate seeks to shore up conservative base by restating a 'pro-life' position four weeks from presidential poll
Mitt Romney sought to assure his conservative base that he would be a "pro-life president" if he defeats US President Barack Obama, reaffirming his opposition to abortion a day after suggesting he could moderate his platform.
But when asked directly if he would restrict legislation limiting abortion rights if such a bill came to him from Congress, the Republican challenger's response was less clear-cut. "I think I've said time and again that I'm a pro-life candidate and I'll be a pro-life president," Romney said while campaigning in Ohio.
Obama swiftly said his White House rival was "hiding positions he's been campaigning on for a year and a half".
A Republican primary process early this year featured a debate about hot-button social issues like abortion and religion, as the candidates sought to woo their party's conservative base.
Once Romney won the nomination, the clamour died down and social issues took a back seat to the US economy and international crises like Syria and Libya.
But abortion, an explosive topic in US politics, roared back to the fore on Tuesday with Romney's remarks to The Des Moines Register. During a campaign stop in the battleground state of Iowa, he told the paper: "There's no legislation with regard to abortion that I'm familiar with that would become part of my agenda."
The statement marked a noteworthy shift for Romney.