Aggressive ads keep abortion in campaign spotlight

Associated Press

DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer

Updated: Oct 19, 2012 10:09 AM

NEW YORK (AP) — Though Barack Obama and Mitt Romney rarely tackle the topic of abortion head-on, the void is being filled by rival advocacy groups targeting swing states with ads depicting one or the other candidate as an extremist in his stance on the divisive issue.

Obama, according to one leading anti-abortion group, is "the most pro-abortion president this country has ever seen."

Groups supporting legal access to abortion depict Romney as eager to ban most abortions as part of a Republican "war on women."

Polls indicate that jobs and health care are the paramount issues for most Americans. Yet abortion is a visceral subject for some voters — and the extent to which they turn out to vote, and perhaps sway wavering acquaintances, could make a difference in pivotal swing states.

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