Obama supports a woman鈥檚 right to choose abortion, and opposes efforts to add restrictions to that right at both the federal and state level.
Romney and Ryan are both anti-abortion, though Romney allows for the exceptions of rape, incest, and a threat to the life of the mother. Before he joined the GOP ticket, Ryan favored only the 鈥渓ife of the mother鈥� exception, but now he says he鈥檚 comfortable with the other exceptions. The Republican Party platform has also long opposed abortion, calling for a constitutional ban without exceptions.
Controversy around the abortion issue exploded Aug. 19, when Missouri GOP Senate nominee Todd Akin said in a TV interview that a women's body could prevent pregnancy during a 鈥渓egitimate rape.鈥� He opposes abortion under any circumstance. Congressman Akin鈥檚 refusal to quit his Senate race, despite demands from top Republicans, including Romney, guarantees abortion will remain in the national campaign spotlight.
In a bid to energize women voters, a majority of whom support Obama, Democrats will feature many speakers at their convention, including top activists on reproductive rights. They include Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke. Ms. Fluke became famous when she told a House panel that birth control was a health issue for women, leading Rush Limbaugh to call her a 鈥渟lut.鈥�
It鈥檚 worth noting, however, that there鈥檚 no gender gap in views on abortion: A recent Pew poll shows half of men and women believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
