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Fact check: The GOP debate

THIS STORY APPEARED IN

February 24, 2012|By Shira Schoenberg

(DON EMMERT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES )

This is one of a series of factchecks by the Globe on statements from the presidential race. The statements come from Wednesday night’s Republican debate in Arizona.

Mitt Romney was asked by moderator John King about a bill signed during his tenure as Massachusetts governor requiring Catholic hospitals to provide emergency contraception to rape victims. Asked if he made such a requirement, Romney responded: ‘‘No, absolutely not. There was no requirement in Massachusetts for the Catholic Church to provide morning- after pills to rape victims. That was entirely voluntary on their part. There was no such requirement.’’

In July 2005, Romney vetoed a bill that would make the morning-after pill available over the counter at Massachusetts pharmacies and would require hospitals to make it available to rape victims. The Legislature overrode his veto. That December, Romney’s public health commissioner ruled that a preexisting law gave Catholic hospitals the right to opt out of the new law on religious or moral grounds. The ruling sparked criticism, and Romney’s legal counsel reversed course and concluded that the new law did not provide a religious exemption.

So as of December 2005, under Romney, Catholic hospitals became required to make the morning-after pill available to rape victims. In a Globe interview, Romney said, ‘‘My personal view, in my heart of hearts, is that people who are subject to rape should have the option of having emergency contraception or emergency contraception information.’’

Asked about Romney’s debate statement, Romney spokesman Ryan Williams did not address Romney’s claim that the requirement was voluntary, but stressed Romney’s opposition to the law. ‘‘Governor Romney—as Planned Parenthood complained at that time—fought at every stage against a state law that would have required Catholic hospitals to provide emergency contraceptives despite objections based on religious conscience,’’ Williams said. ‘‘Facing an 85 percent Democrat legislature, he vetoed the bill and explored using his executive power to provide an exemption from the law based on conscience.’’

Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum was criticized by Texas Representative Ron Paul for voting in favor of family planning money, referred to as Title X. Santorum responded: ‘‘As Congressman Paul knows, I opposed Title X funding. I’ve always opposed Title X funding, but it’s included in a large appropriation bill that includes a whole host of other things. . . . What I did, because Title X was always pushed through . . . I said, well, if you’re going to have Title X funding, then we’re going to create something called Title XX, which is going to provide funding for abstinence-based programs.’’