Romney restates
position against same-sex marriage

Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who is weighing a bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, dismissed criticism that he has flip-flopped on the issues of same-sex marriage and abortion and reaffirmed his opposition to both. ''Like the vast majority of Americans, I've opposed same-sex marriage, but I've also opposed unjust discrimination against anyone, for racial or religious reasons or for sexual preference,'' Romney said in an interview with the National Review magazine published online Thursday.

The comments were Romney's first public explanation of his stance on the two key social issues since the publication last week of a 1994 letter--sent in the final weeks of his failed campaign against Edward M. Kennedy for the U.S. Senate--in which he cited his sensitivity to the concerns of Log Cabin Republicans, a gay political group.

''As a result of our discussions and other interactions with gay and lesbian voters across the state, I am more convinced than ever before that as we seek to establish full equality for America's gay and lesbian citizens, I will provide more effective leadership than my opponent,'' Romney wrote in the letter.

During that same campaign, Romney also stated his personal opposition to abortion but said he would not seek to change state abortion laws. As proof, he cited his mother's 1970 candidacy for the Senate as an abortion rights supporter.

The letter and his history on abortion have prompted conservative religious activists to question whether Romney is truly committed to a conservative social agenda and to demand he explain his positions. (AP)