Gore, Bush weigh in on abortion pill debate

By Beth Fouhy/CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With fewer than six weeks to go before the presidential election, Thursday's biggest political news came in the form of a small white pill.

Gore told Larry King he is pro-choice ( 257 K/17 sec. WAV sound)

The Food and Drug Administration's decision to approve the sale of the abortion drug RU-486 set off a wave of reaction from both sides of the abortion issue -- placing it squarely in the middle of campaign 2000, for now.

In a paper statement, Texas Gov. George W. Bush called the FDA's decision "wrong," saying, "I fear that making this abortion pill widespread will make abortions more and more common, rather than more and more rare."

On Thursday night, Vice President Al Gore said on CNN's Larry King Live he supported the agency's decision.

"I think it's up to the woman, and I strongly support a woman's right to choose, and I support the FDA's approval, assuming it's safe for the woman who takes it, and that's what they decided today," Gore said. "I do not think it ought to be kept away from women for some political reason."

National Right to Life Committee's Olivia Gans

Gore said the abortion issue will be very important in the upcoming election, noting that the next president will appoint three or four Supreme Court justices. He said his opponent has promised to do everything he can to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal in the United States.

Politics was a major reason the pill was so late to arrive in the American marketplace from Europe, where it has been used for 12 years.

Vicki Saporta of the National Abortion Federation

Citing health concerns, President George Bush blocked the importation of RU-486 during his 1988-1992 term. Bill Clinton moved to reverse that policy just days after his first inauguration -- a decision Al Gore supported.

"He has actively encouraged the introduction of this drug into the marketplace. He has made sure that at every turn in this campaign his position has loudly been heard by Americans," said Olivia Gans of the National Right to Life Committee.

Anti-abortion leaders scrambled to cast the ruling in a positive light. At the annual conference of the Christian Coalition, activists said it would motivate the anti-abortion community to get to the polls.

Even before the FDA's decision, groups on both sides of the abortion issue have been poised to pour big money into Election 2000. The National Abortion Rights Action League has pledged a $5 million mail and phone campaign to turn out their voters in 15 states, while Planned Parenthood will launch a $6 million ad campaign next week.

"Since Roe vs. Wade, the freedom to choose has protected the lives and health of women. Today's approval marks another important milestone in the history of safeguarding a woman's health by expanding her choices," said Vicki Saporta of the National Abortion Federation.

Meanwhile, anti-abortion groups such as Priests for Life are already on the air, while giants like the National Right to Life Committee are planning larger-scale grassroots efforts.

Both sides say the scope of this FDA ruling could be narrowed or amended by the next president. That's a signal to both sides of the abortion question to keep up their work in the weeks left before Election 2000.