Mitt Romney's speech on faith in American life and politics has been generally well-received by Republicans, and may have helped counter suspicions based on prejudice against his Mormon religion. Those were only a part of his problem with "social conservatives," who also wonder about the timing of his changes of position on issues like abortion and gay rights.

Romney has consistently explained that his change of heart on abortion (and "life issues" generally) came about during the debate on embryonic stem cell research in Massachusetts, after which he found a new reverence for human life. But the last major legislation he signed as Governor was his "RomneyCare" health insurance plan - which covered abortions for only a $50 co-payment. Gary Gross of Let Freedom Ring has the story:

I've stated before that Mitt Romney's credibility on the abortion issue isn't exactly high. Here's the link to the RomneyCare pdf that casts his credibility into doubt. Look at this section:

Outpatient care

Office visit to your PCP $5

Office visit to a specialist $10

Radiology, imaging (x-rays), lab work $0

Outpatient surgery at a hospital or ambulatory surgery center $50

Abortion $50

During the last debate, Gov. Romney said that he'd made mistakes on the abortion issue but that he'd experienced a transformation before becoming Massachusetts' governor. We also know that RomneyCare was the last major piece of legislation Romney signed as governor. Considering the $50 co-pay for abortion in RomneyCare, it's only fair to ask if this transformation really happened and, if it happened, when it happened.

Read the rest, and access the embedded links, at the above link.

This certainly raises additional questions about precisely when Romney's "change of heart" occurred, since making abortion a universally cheap option hardly protects human life. If he came about this change later, closer to his Presidential run, it tends to look more like a political judgment than a firm conviction (not to mention belying his own explanation).

Now, it was Massachusetts, and the overwhelmingly Democratic legislature wasn't about to approve a universal health care plan that excluded abortion entirely - but fifty bucks? That makes abortion rather cheap and easy . . . and defending the provision won't be.