Romney: Abortion not part of my agenda

Mitt Romney on Tuesday said he had no plans to push for limited access to abortions in the U.S. if elected president.

“There’s no legislation with regards to abortion that I’m familiar with that would become part of my agenda,” the Republican presidential nominee told The Des Moines Register.

Romney said he would, however, reinstate the Mexico City Policy to prevent the United States from funding nongovernmental organizations that provide abortion related services overseas.

Romney spokeswoman, Andrea Saul, later clarified to the National Review Online that the GOP candidate "would of course support legislation aimed at providing greater protections for life."

Though the Republican Party Platform of 2012 endorses a constitutional amendment that would prohibit abortion without exceptions for rape or incest, Romney has been reluctant to address the issue. The GOP candidate has faced criticism from the right for his stance on abortion.

"My position has been clear throughout this campaign," Romney told CBS News in September. "I'm in favor of abortion being legal in the case of rape and incest, and the health and life of the mother."

The GOP candidate has previously said that he would defund Planned Parenthood and nominate Supreme Court justices who oppose Roe v. Wade, which upheld a woman’s right to an abortion until the fetus is viable outside the womb. Romney also claimed he would support the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would narrow the legal window during which women can legally obtain an abortion.