Reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg delivered a "Check Point" on Saturday on "just how vexing the abortion issue has become for Mitt Romney and his running mate" ("Abortion Politics, Again [1])." But what about Joe Biden's Planned Parenthood gaffe in Wisconsin on Friday?
When Representative Paul D. Ryan, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, pledged at the debate on Thursday night that “the policy of a Romney administration is to oppose abortion with exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother,” it illustrated just how vexing the abortion issue has become for Mitt Romney and his running mate.
Asked if those “who believe that abortion should remain legal” should be worried if a Romney-Ryan ticket were elected, Mr. Ryan said, “We don’t think that unelected judges should make this decision.”
“People through their elected representatives,” he added, should make decisions about abortion “through the democratic process” -- a statement tantamount to saying that abortion policy should be changed through legislation.
But Mr. Romney, in a recent interview with The Des Moines Register, said that abortion would not be on his legislative agenda. “There’s no legislation with regards to abortion that I’m familiar with that would become part of my agenda,” he said.
His campaign quickly backpedaled. “Governor Romney would of course support legislation aimed at providing greater protections for life,” said Andrea Saul, a spokeswoman.
Yet there was no mention in the paper or nytimes.com of Vice President Joe Biden's truly shocking abortion gaffe on Planned Parenthood [2], saying at a campaign rally in Wisconsin on Friday that Planned Parenthood "under law cannot perform any abortions." But the Times found no "vexing" issue for Biden here.