August 09, 2014 10:54 AM UTC

Politico is latest media outlet to let Gardner slide on personhood inconsistency

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• by: Jason Salzman

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

The latest reporter to ask senatorial candidate Cory Gardner why he's un-endorsed the state personhood amendments but has yet to un-cosponsor a proposed federal personhood law is Politico's Paige Winfield Cunningham, who reported Wednesday:

Gardner now says he was wrong to back personhood because it could ban some forms of contraception. He’s even urging the Food and Drug Administration to make birth control pills available without prescription. But he is still listed as a sponsor of a federal personhood bill. His campaign didn’t respond to questions about the discrepancy.

In the absence of a response by Gardner, or his spokespeople, Cunningham should have cited the Gardner campaign's previous erroneous statement that the federal personhood bill, called the Life at Conception Act, is simply a declaration that life begins at conception, and it would not ban abortion, even for rape and incest, like Colorado's personhood amendments aimed to do.

Here's what Gardner spokesman Alex Siciliano told The Denver Post's Mark Matthews July 15.

"The federal proposal in question simply states that life begins at conception, as most pro-life Americans believe, with no change to contraception laws as Senator Udall falsely alleges."

And here's what Gardner himself told untold numbers of TV viewers in an advertisement last month, ostensibly stating that he's against all personhood legislation, state and federal:

Gardner: "They attacking me for changing my mind about personhood, after I learned more and listened to more of you."

But did he change his mind on personhood? Before he made the ad, Gardner was careful to say he opposed personhood in Colorado, leaving open the possibility that he supports it at the federal level. He told CBS4's Shaun Boyd:

Gardner: "In the state of Colorado, the personhood initiative I do not support."

But prior to this, on KNUS radio April 22, shortly after he backed off Colorado personhood amendments, Gardner said he stood behind his anti-abortion record in Congress, which includes his co-sponsorship of the federal personhood bill.

Gardner: “I remain a pro-life legislator who believes that my record actually speaks for itself while I’ve been in Congress."

I like to fill in media gaps, left open by reporters, but Gardner's office doesn't return my calls, and so all I can do is look at these inconsistencies and speculate about what's going on in Gardner's mind.

A reporter who happens to be speaking with Gardner should straighten things out.