Four Republican presidential hopefuls participated tonight in a radio forum organized by PersonhoodUSA, a group pushing congress to pass a bill declaring that life begins at conception and one candidate revealed his views on the issue have changed.

Rick Perry, who has opposed nearly all abortions, said he no longer favors exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Perry recently met with a woman who was conceived in a rape.

“Looking in her eyes, I couldn’t come up with an answer to defend the exceptions for rape and incest,” Perry said.

Perry met the woman earlier this month when he attended the premiere of a documentary called “The Gift of Life”.

“She made a statement to me that was really profound and pierced my heart,” Perry said.

Perry has touted what he calls his “pro-life credentials” on the campaign trail, acting to “defund” Planned Parenthood in Texas, where he is governor, and requiring parental consent there before a minor can obtain an abortion. But Perry has supported abortion exceptions in cases of rape and incest, or when the mother’s life is endangered by the pregnancy. But he unveiled during tonight’s telephone town hall meeting with abortion foes that he had undergone a transformation this Christmas season.

“All I can tell you is God was working on my heart,” Perry said.  (Audio of Perry’s remarks posted here.)

Organizers said nearly 26,000 people listened to the event by telephone. It was broadcast nationally on The Steve Deace Show and another radio network.

Four Republican presidential candidates spoke tonight to a crowd of 1400 gathered in Des Moines for the premiere of a documentary called “The Gift of Life.”  

Rick Santorum used part of his speech to question rival Newt Gingrich’s committment on the abortion issue.

“I have some problems with some of the folks, you know, running for office these days when they say, “I believe life begins at conception,” Santorum said.

Gingrich issued a statement earlier this week to The Family Leader, a conservative Christian group, that is considering giving its endorsement to Gingrich. Gingrich wrote he believes “that life begins at conception.” Santorum ridiculed it.

“It’s like (saying), ‘I believe the sun rises,’” Santorum said, and the crowd began laughing and erupted in applause, cheers and whistles as Santorum added: “Why would you say you believe something that’s a fact.”

Gingrich — during his remarks to the crowd earlier in the evening — said the “central, moral question of our lifetime” is abortion.

“The whole reason behind Roe v Wade is a utilitarian, phony science reasoning that has collapsed under the weight of modern technology,” Gingrich said. “The fact is that as the country became more aware of Roe v Wade, it has turned more and more against abortion.”

The crowd applauded Gingrich when he declared that as president, he would ensure federal money is not spent on any abortion anywhere in the world. The crowd sat, hushed, as Michele Bachmann spoke of her own miscarriage.

“That little baby was 12 weeks old…That baby was perfect. I know without a shadow of a doubt every baby that God creates is perfect,” Bachmann said, “because we are created in the image and likeness of a holy God.”

Bachmann promised to “protect life” as president. Rick Perry criticized judges who “impose their beliefs” through their opinions and vowed to help pass a “human life amendment” to the U.S. constitution.

“The greatest victories in the battle for life is not going to be won in the halls of government. It’s going to be won in the hearts of men,” Perry said. “Yes, we must change the laws, but we must also change hearts and minds.”

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, the victor in the 2008 Iowa Caucuses, was the host of tonight’s documentary premiere in Des Moines.  

“You know this event is not here to endorse a candidate, but I think it is significant that all four of the candidates present tonight have endorsed life and that ought to be very important for you to consider someone to vote for in the caucuses here in Iowa,” Huckabee said.

In other news from the campaign trail, Perry kicked off his 44-city bus tour with stops in western Iowa. Michele Bachmann described the grinding process of running for president as akin to having “the snot beat out of you” and Newt Gingrich was heckled by a pack of protestors as he started to give a lecture in Iowa City.

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain says he believes statements he made in Iowa this weekend have reestablished his credibility among conservatives on the abortion issue, but the more than 1000 Iowa Republicans who witnessed Cain’s remarks were given a leaflet afterwards with this accusation: “Herman Cain threw the babies under the bus.”

Cain was among six Republican candidates who spoke Saturday at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s fall fundraiser on the state fairgrounds and he made this simple declaration during his 10-minute speech: “From conception, no abortions, no exceptions.”

A host of the event also asked each candidate what they would do, as president, to end “abortion on demand.” Cain gave a 40-second answer on the topic.  

“I would not sign any legislation where government funded abortion. I would not sign any legislation that in any way allowed the government to be involved in it,” Cain said. “I would strengthen all of our current laws that prevent abortion. I believe that abortion should be clearly stated and illegal across this country.” 

Cain’s answer first drew applause from the crowd when he vowed to forbid any federal tax dollars from going to Planned Parenthood.

“And I will make sure that I appoint judges that will enforce the constitution — no activist judges — and I would also make sure that we didn’t allow any bureaucrats to get in the way in order to protect the life of the unborn,” Cain said, to more applause.

During an appearance on CNN last week, Cain said families should make the ultimate “choice” about some abortions, a remark reprinted on the leaflet placed on every vehicle parked around the hall where Cain spoke. It came from a group called “Iowans for Some Semblance of Christian Decency.” Rival Rick Perry was the only one of the other five candidates to directly challenge Cain on the issue.

“It is a liberal canard to say, ‘I am personally pro-life but government should stay out of that decision.’ If that is your view, you are not pro-life,” Perry said, as the crowd started applauding.  “You are pro-having-your-cake-and-eating-it-too. We respect life.”

The Texas governor used more than three minutes in his 10-minute speech to the crowd to talk about what Perry described as his “unwavering stand” on the abortion issue, including his approval of Texas laws which require minors to get parental consent before obtaining an abortion and a law which requires women seeking an abortion to see a sonogram first.   

“On this issue you don’t just need to listen to my words,” Perry said. “But you can look at my record.” 

Rick Santorum, the final candidate to speak Saturday, indirectly questioned Cain’s sincerity. 

“You’ve heard a lot of policy…The choice for you is to whether the folks that are delivering this are authentic,” Santorum said. “Can they be trusted?”

During an interview with Radio Iowa, Ron Paul expressed some compassion for Cain’s predicament, but Paul also summed up the problem Cain now faces.

“Obviously he’s come across as either being inconsistent or very confused on that,” Paul said.  “And this is one issue that supporters of the issue — they don’t want confusion.” 

In addition to the leaflet distributed Saturday night which attacked Cain, abortion opponents left a postcard-sized picture of a fetus – with the words “I AM A PERSON” – under the windshield wipers of the vehicles Iowa Republican activists drove to the event on the fairgrounds. 

Here’s the AUDIO of Henderson’s Radio Iowa report on this story.