Manchester – Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney today defended his conservative credentials while acknowledging that his position on abortion and the landmark Roe v. Wade decision changed two years ago.

Romney said he became convinced in 2004 after studying the stem cell research debate that Roe v. Wade should be overturned. Previously, he had supported the decision.

On gay rights, despite supporting the Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in 1994 in a letter to Log Cabin Republicans, the potential Republican presidential candidate today said his record and his thinking on the issue has been consistent.

He no longer supports new legislation aimed at guaranteeing gay rights, but he said, “My position has been from the beginning of my political career that marriage should be a relationship between a man and a woman.”

Romney said if he runs for President, conservative voters in first-primary state New Hampshire and elsewhere will see that “the proof is in the pudding. People will have a chance to look at my records as governor of Massachusetts and see what I’ve done there. Talk is cheap but action is not.”

Romney said, “With regard to abortion, I’ve indicated that two years ago, my position changed. That’s where I am. That’s where I’ve been and if you look at my record, you can see it’s entirely consistent with those views.”

For a full report on Romney’s visit to New Hampshire today, see the New Hampshire Union Leader and UnionLeader.com tomorrow.