Obama Seeks Common Ground on Abortion

President Obama is hoping a nuanced approach can soften the debate over one of the most contentious issues in America: abortion, writes Rob Stein in the Washington Post. Since taking office, Obama has lifted a Republican ban on funding international aid groups that provide abortion services, but also persuaded House Democrats to remove funding for contraceptives from the economic stimulus package.

While Obama has firmly declared his support for “a woman’s right to choose,” he’s urged both sides to examine the causes of unintended pregnancies. The strategy could lose him friends of both stripes, and many pro-lifers view it as nothing more than a Trojan horse. Still, the approach “could capture the imagination of the American people and do a lot to ease the culture wars,” suggests one professor. (More Barack Obama stories.)