Steve Smothermon, the pastor of Albuquerque's Legacy Church, told congregants in his taped Oct. 19 sermon that Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Ronchetti told him he is "pro-life" during their meeting last summer.
Smothermon said he was surprised when Ronchetti told the public an opposite stand on the abortion issue despite what he allegedly said when they met.
Flip-flopping?
A Yahoo News report bared that Pastor Smothermon claimed the Republican politician clearly expressed his desire to work for the outlawing of abortion in the state.
Smothermon said Ronchetti then went on TV and claimed he did not make the statement the pastor claims he did.
The article said Ronchetti told the pastor he seeks an "outright ban" on abortion access.
The statement contrasts his statement to voters that abortion should not be treated as a criminal act if done due to incest, rape, or during the woman's first 15 weeks of being pregnant. He also said abortion should be legal if the mother's life is at risk.
Following his contradictory statements on the issue, Ronchetti told voters they should go through a constitutional amendment to settle the matter. In response, Pastor Smothermon recalled Ronchetti's past comments on the subject.
Smothermon said in August that the politician made it clear to him that he is "pro-life."
Ronchetti seemed to validate the pastor's claim when he said during a televised election debate that what he told the pastor was the same as what he has been telling everybody.
"Everything I've told everybody else in this, and that is that I am pro-life, but I believe this is a very personal issue and we need to treat it as such," Yahoo News quoted him saying.
Also Read: Christian Pastor, Lawyer Team Up To Fight Abortion One City at a Time
Pastor Weighs in on Gubernatorial Candidates
During his sermon on Sunday, Pastor Smothermon said that Christians who wish to become worthy of entering God's kingdom should fully commit to abide by Christ's teaching. He then scored New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for championing abortion rights in the state.
Smothermon called Lujan Grisham, the first Democratic Latina to win as Governor in the U.S., a "reprobate" and "murderer."
The news outlet said Smothermon expressed surprise that he became part of the state's debate on abortion.
He also learned he is called the "little old preacher in Albuquerque who has gotten under the governor's skin."
Smothermon's statements concerning Ronchetti and Lujan Grisham show his disapproval of both politicians' stand on abortion.
"I'm telling you folks. It doesn't matter what we say we believe. It matters what we do, and that determines what we believe," Smothermon said during his sermon, referring to Ronchetti's abortion views.
Consequently, the U.S. Supreme Court's controversial decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling has become a hot topic in the upcoming midterm elections, including New Mexico.
Current Governor Lujan Grisham is a known pro-abortion politician. She recently earmarked $10 million in the state's capital outlay to fund the construction of an abortion facility close to the Texas border.
Meanwhile, her rival Ronchetti apparently has contradicting views on the issue, which prompted Lujan Grisham's camp to run an ad pointing out the latter's "flip-flopping" abortion stand.
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