Events Forcing Abortion Issue on Kerry

Sen. John F. Kerry is getting pulled, sometimes reluctantly, into the national debate over abortion as result of recent court action, church politics and some pressure from Democrats outside of his campaign.

The Massachusetts Democrat, who throughout his 30-plus years in public life has tried to balance his personal opposition to abortion with public support for a woman's right to have one, rarely talks about the issue on the campaign trail -- unless he is forced to. Kerry's reluctance to discuss abortion is as much personal as political, reflecting the Democratic presidential candidate's uneasiness in talking about religious views and divisive church issues, aides say.

But recent events, including Tuesday's court ruling that the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act is unconstitutional, are forcing Kerry to deal with an issue that some Democrats fear could complicate his efforts to win over independents and disgruntled Republicans and could detract attention from his focus on economic and national security issues.

Washington Post Article.