DVD Sways Perry’s Position on Abortion
Published at
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(OSCEOLA, Iowa) — Rick Perry admitted to Iowa voters Tuesday evening that he underwent a “transformation” in his views on abortion, shifting from a stance that allowed for abortion in cases of rape, incest, and concerning for the life of the mother to one that opposes abortion in all forms.
“You’re seeing a transformation,” Perry said in response to a voter’s question about his changed stance at a townhall in Iowa. “That transformation was after watching the DVD Gift of Life, and I really started giving some thought about the issue of rape and incest, and some powerful stories in that DVD.”
Asked if there was a defining moment in Mike Huckabee’s anti-abortion DVD that inspired the change in his position, Perry cited a conversation he had with a woman featured in the movie who was conceived during a rape.
“It was actually before it when the lady who was in the DVD was looking me in the eye and said you need to really think this through because she said I am the product of a rape, and she said my life has worth. It was a powerful moment,” said Perry to applause from the audience.
Nearly two weeks ago, Perry signed the Personhood USA pledge, which opposes all forms of abortion. Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum have all signed the pledge.
Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio