Should Congress have acted in the Terri Schiavo case?

• Moderator: OK. Let me ask you a question which has grabbed a lot of Americans personally, the Terri Schiavo case.

Again, it was a question whether the United States, the U.S. Congress should have intervened and passed a law to advise the appellate court whether to act or not in this case -- the district court, it was.

Terri Schiavo: Should Congress have acted or let the family make the decision, the husband?

• Romney : I think we should generally make the family make a decision of this nature.

• Moderator: The husband should have decided?

• Romney : Generally, we should make that decision. In the case here, the courts decided what they thought was the right thing to do. And then I think Jeb Bush and the Florida legislature did the right thing by saying, we've got a concern. They looked over the shoulder of the court. But I think the decision of Congress to get involved was a mistake.

• Moderator: OK.

• Romney **: I think the Congress's job is to make sure that laws are respecting the sanctity of life. But to actually adjudicate a case like this, better done at the state level by the governor the legislature and the court.

Related:

1. Romney won the first debate (click to see reasons to agree and disagree).

Questions for Governor Mitt Romney from the 1st debate:

1. What do you dislike most about America?
2. Would it be a good day for America if Roe v Wade was repealed.
3. Have you always been for life or effectively pro-choice?
4. When you said that being a pro-life president entails more than just appointing strict constructionist judges, was that directed at Giuliani?
5. Should Scooter Libby should be pardoned?
6. Which current cabinet official would you keep?
7. Would it be good for America to have Bill Clinton back living in the White House?
8. Are you embarrased of your health care program?
9. Should we be in Iraq when the American people do not victory is possible?
10. Do you support a tamper-proof work status ID card?
11. Should Congress have acted in the Terri Schiavo case?
12. Is it worth moving heaven and earth and spending billions of dollars to get Osama?
13. Should we change our Constitution to allow foreign born citizens to become president?
14. What do you say to bishops who deny Communion to elected officials who support abortion rights?
15. Do you accept Huckabee's statement that he wasn't talking about you?
16. Will you expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research?
17. What tax would you like to cut?