Romney's View on Abortion, Education and Taxes; Where Does He Stand After Presidential Debate?

Wednesday night's presidential debate saw a kinder, gentler, less conservative Mitt Romney. In an effort to appeal to more moderate undecided voters, candidates often move to the center near the end of a campaign.

Democrats have been crying foul over Romney's assertions, saying that he conceals his true policies in an attempt to sound more palatable to voters who don't know better.

So where does Mitt Romney stand on the issues important to Americans?

Abortion

This issue wasn't mentioned at all in the first debate, either by the moderator Jim Lehrer, or either candidate. Unlike some other issues, the difference between Romney and Obama's positions is clear: Obama is pro-choice and Romney is pro-life.

When he was governor of Massachusetts, Romney was pro-choice, a position he's since renounced. According to his website, "Mitt believes that life begins at conception and wishes that the laws of our nation reflected that view. But while the nation remains so divided, he believes that the right next step is for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade," the decision that legalized abortion in 1973. "With Roe overturned, states will be empowered through the democratic process to determine their own abortion laws and not have them dictated by judicial mandate."

In addition, Romney will end federal funding for organizations that provide abortions, like Planned Parenthood, even for services that don't involve abortion or birth control.

Education

Romney and Obama sparred over education in the first debate, with Romney accusing Obama of supporting wasteful education policy, and Obama charging Romney with wanting to slash education 20 percent.

Romney denied that, but the figure is on par with the budget plan proposed by Romney's running mate Paul Ryan. According to his website, Romney wants to tie, "federal funds directly to dramatic reforms that expand parental choice, invest in innovation, and reward teachers for their results instead of their tenure."

This would involve voucher programs for student to attend charter and private schools, a policy opponents say will just take funds away from already impoverished schools.

Taxes

Romney and Obama fight all the time on this issue, though the difference in their positions is one of principle more than practice. Both support cutting the corporate tax rate and cutting taxes for middle income families.

They differ over which families they consider "middle class." Romney also wants to cut taxes by 20 percent for higher-income Americans as part of a general policy of lower taxes and smaller government.

Opponents argue that Romney's cuts can't be made up for by closing loopholes and reducing waste, as he's argued, and so the federal deficit will increase. So far, Romney has yet to detail how he will make up a projected deficit in revenue of $5 trillion over 10 years, though he insists that economic growth caused by the cuts will more than cover the gap.