ROMNEY V. ROE -- Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney not only vetoed legislation expanding access to the “morning-after” pill because it has abortifacient qualities, but he also took a shot at the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.

In a July 26 commentary for The Boston Globe, Romney said he opposes abortion with exceptions for rape, incest and danger to the mother’s life. The Republican governor said in the opinion piece, which was published a day after his veto, he believes “states, through the democratic process, should determine their own abortion laws and not have them dictated by judicial mandate.”

The 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, coupled with the Doe v. Bolton companion decision, struck down all state bans on abortion and had the effect of legalizing the procedure for any reason throughout all stages of pregnancy.

When he was campaigning for governor in 2002, Romney said in a response to a Planned Parenthood questionnaire he endorsed “the substance of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade,” The Globe reported.

Romney said in the commentary his “convictions have evolved and deepened” since he became governor in 2003. “In considering the issue of embryo cloning and embryo farming, I saw where the harsh logic of abortion can lead -– to the view of innocent new life as nothing more than research material or a commodity to be exploited,” Romney wrote.

Some observers, especially pro-choice critics of Romney, have said the governor is shifting his position to gain support from social conservatives in the Republican Party in hopes of a run for the White House in 2008.

The bill Romney vetoed would permit pharmacists to provide the “morning-after” pill, also referred to as “emergency contraception,” without a prescription and would mandate that hospitals offer it to rape victims, according to The Globe.

If the “morning-after” pill were only contraceptive in nature, he would not have vetoed the bill, Romney said. “The drug it authorizes would also terminate life after conception,” he wrote. Romney also said the measure does not require parental consent for underage girls. He said signing the bill would have broken a promise he made to voters not to change the law either to limit or promote abortion.

The “morning-after” pill works by restricting ovulation in a woman, but it also can work after conception, blocking implantation of a tiny embryo in the uterine wall, Romney and pro-lifers contend. In such a case, an abortion occurs, pro-lifers point out.

In spite of Romney’s action, the bill is expected to become law. Both houses of the Massachusetts legislature passed the measure with veto-proof majorities.

The “morning-after” pill is basically a heavier dose of birth control pills. Under the regimen, a woman takes two pills within 72 hours of sexual intercourse and another dose 12 hours later. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved prescription use of two brands, Preven and Plan B. The FDA will announce by Sept. 1 whether it will permit over-the-counter sale of Plan B without a prescription to women 16 years of age and older.