Advocates say Obama abortion stance muddy

WASHINGTON, July 10 (UPI) -- Recent remarks by U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., have abortion rights supporters saying he may be shying away from his defense of reproductive rights.

In an interview with a Christian magazine, Obama, the likely Democratic presidential candidate, seemed to indicate he rejected a mental health exception to a late-term abortion ban, Politico, a Washington publication, reported Thursday.

After examining Obama's initial comments and a subsequent clarification that he supports a mental health exception, some abortion rights activists said they were satisfied, while others expressed concern he may be trying to appeal more to conservative voters.

"That kind of statement really feeds into the wingnut argument that women have abortions because they are frivolous about that decision, because we are having a bad hair day," Kim Gandy, National Organization for Women president, told Politico. "There seems to be an information gap there."

The controversy began with a Relevant magazine interview in which Obama said he supported the ban on late-term abortions if there is a "strict, well-defined exception for the health of the mother," drawing a distinction between physical and mental health and indicating support for the former and not the latter, Politico said. He clarified his position, saying he supports health exceptions to the late-term abortion ban but only for clinically diagnosed conditions.