What Is Michael Steele Saying About Abortion And Gays?

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Did Michael Steele actually say he’s pro-choice? In the GQ interview, Steele appears to agree that abortion is a right, despite his own moral opposition and desire for a state-based approach as an issue:

How much of your pro-life stance, for you, is informed not just by your Catholic faith but by the fact that you were adopted?
Oh, a lot. Absolutely. I see the power of life in that–I mean, and the power of choice! The thing to keep in mind about it… Uh, you know, I think as a country we get off on these misguided conversations that throw around terms that really misrepresent truth.

Explain that.
The choice issue cuts two ways. You can choose life, or you can choose abortion. You know, my mother chose life. So, you know, I think the power of the argument of choice boils down to stating a case for one or the other.

Are you saying you think women have the right to choose abortion?
Yeah. I mean, again, I think that’s an individual choice.

This seems very odd, considering how Steele wasn’t just pro-life in his Senate run in 2006 — he compared stem-cell research to the Nazi medical experiments, while speaking to a Jewish audience, necessitating a public apology.

And he more or less accepts the scientific consensus on homosexuality:

Do you think homosexuality is a choice?
Oh, no. I don’t think I’ve ever really subscribed to that view, that you can turn it on and off like a water tap. Um, you know, I think that there’s a whole lot that goes into the makeup of an individual that, uh, you just can’t simply say, oh, like, “Tomorrow morning I’m gonna stop being gay.” It’s like saying, “Tomorrow morning I’m gonna stop being black.”

So your feeling would be that people are born one way or another.
I mean, I think that’s the prevailing view at this point, and I know that there’s some out there who think that you can absolutely make that choice. And maybe some people have. I don’t know, I can’t say. Until we can give a definitive answer one way or the other, I think we should respect that.

Of course, Steele also recently called civil unions “crazy,” but here he says homosexuality is not a choice and should be respected.

How will the Family Research Council — or dare we say it, Rush Limbaugh — handle this one?

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