Sen. Clinton Notes Rise in Abortion Rates

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton complained Monday that the Bush administration is shortchanging family planning efforts and said that might be causing abortion rates to go up in some parts of the country.

The New York Democrat told about 1,000 fellow abortion rights supporters that during her husband’s administration, family planning funding was a priority and “we saw the rate of abortion consistently fall.”

“The abortion rate fell by one-quarter between 1990 and 1995, the steepest decline since Roe was decided in 1973,” Clinton told the 28th annual conference of the Family Planning Advocates of New York State. “The rate fell another 11% between 1994 and 2000.

“But unfortunately in the last few years, while we are engaged in ideological debate instead of one that uses facts and evidence and common sense, the rate of abortion is on the rise in some states,” she said. “In the [first] three years since President Bush took office, eight states have seen an increase in abortion rates and four saw a decrease.”

Asked about the criticism, White House spokesman Ken Lasaius said, “The president believes we ought to work together to promote a culture of life.

“He’s made it very clear that whether we agree or disagree on the issue of abortion, that we can all work together to take practical steps to reduce the number of abortions that occur,” Lasaius said.

Asked whether she felt the president’s policies were directly responsible for increased abortion rates in some states, Clinton said she did not know whether that was the case.