Earlier this afternoon, Newt Gingrich opened the floor to questions in Fort Dodge, Iowa. His first question came from the same young woman who, back in October, asked Mitt Romney about his support for a "life begins at conception" amendment and what that might mean for birth control. (You might recall that Gov. Romney's answer inspired a trip into the Man Cave.)
Beth Schopis of Iowa appears to be making a habit of asking important questions that others on the campaign trail rarely seem to ask.
A transcript of her full exchange with Mr. Gingrich:
Q: Last night when you were in Des Moines you reiterated your support for the personhood amendments using the 14th amendment as a justification and I’m just a little concerned bc I use birth control and some forms of birth control would be outlawed if those personhood laws became the law of the land. So, do you support birth control, all forms of birth control? And can you help me understand where you stand on that issue.Newt: Any kind of pre-conception birth control would be legal, but I think, I think post conception birth control would be a form of abortion. No, I don't support abortion. I said pre-conception forms of birth control is totally appropriate. There are lots of forms of pre-conception birth control.
We are reaching out to the Gingrich campaign for clarification on what forms of birth control Speaker Gingrich considers to be pre-conception.
ADDING: Video of the exchange