Perry shifts abortion views: No exception for rape, incest
Reporting from Osceola, Iowa— Rick Perry, in the midst of a furious late-stage effort to finish strongly in next week’s GOP Iowa caucuses, said at a town hall-style campaign event here that his views on abortion have shifted and that he no longer believes the procedure is acceptable in any circumstances.
Assuredly, the Texas governor has never been a moderate on the issue. But until recently, he had said an abortion might be justifiable in cases of rape or incest or if the mother’s life were in danger.
Tuesday, at the last leg of a four-stop bus trip across southwestern Iowa, Perry was asked a question by a local pastor about his abortion views, noting that the candidate had recently signed a pledge to oppose abortion in every situation and asking whether Perry had changed his mind.
Perry replied that he had. “You’re seeing a transformation,” he said. Recently watching an anti-abortion film had convinced him to alter his view, he said.