GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich took a shot at rival candidate Mitt Romney Tuesday, claiming his Republican opponent "insisted" Catholic hospitals provide abortion pills while he was governor of Massachusetts.
"There's been a lot of talk about Obama administration's attack on the Catholic Church, well the fact is Gov. Romney insisted Catholic hospitals give out abortion pills against their religious belief when he was governor," said Gingrich in Cincinnati.
As governor Romney required all hospitals in the state provide rape victims with emergency contraception in late 2005, according to The Associated Press.
A spokeswoman for the Romney campaign told CNN that he vetoed the original bill, but it was later overruled by the state legislature.
"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," Romney said in 2005, according
to communications director Gail Gitcho, reported CNN.
In what has become a staple of the former House Speaker's campaign
message, Gingrich also attacked Romney Tuesday as a "moderate,"
claiming the former governor's policies are too closely aligned with
President Obama's agenda to win in the general election.
"I don't think that a moderate can defeat Obama because they don't have enough space to debate," he said. "I think a Massachusetts moderate finds it vary hard to draw a sharp contrast with someone who's an Illinois radical."
Obama’s recent decision to force employers, including religious institutions, to provide health insurance coverage for contraception has spurred a growing backlash among religious groups and political adversaries, including Romney.
The GOP presidential front-runner launched a petition on Monday against the mandate, arguing it was an attack by Obama on “religious liberty.”
