Analysis: Pro-Choice View Tests Giuliani

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani addresses patrons at a fundraiser for Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich in this file photo from July 12, 2006 in Baltimore. Giuliani has always been known as a rare-breed Republican who favors abortion rights. As he seeks the GOP nomination in a party dominated by anti-abortion voters, the question is whether his stance that played so well in liberal New York City hurts his candidacy. (AP Photo/Chris Gardner-File) (Chris Gardner - AP)

"I think anything is possible, but I don't think it would be real easy," said McCain, adding that "one of the fundamental principles of a conservative (is) to have respect and commitment to the dignity of human life, both the born and unborn."

The third top contender, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, has drawn plenty of heat for what he readily acknowledges has been a reversal on the issue. He has said he was "effectively pro-choice" but changed his mind and became an abortion opponent two years ago.

A well-known commodity in Republican circles, Giuliani saw his popularity spike when he made clear earlier this year that he was running for the GOP nomination _ and for months he rode atop national popularity polls with a double-digit lead.

But his advantage in those surveys has narrowed considerably, perhaps because of increased examination of his record.

Greg Strimple, a New York-based Republican consultant who is neutral in the race, said the GOP race right now is more about leadership than about issues.

"As Republican voters weigh Rudy Giuliani's pro-choice position on abortion against his leadership during 9/11, they're picking leadership," Strimple said. "But Giuliani needs to be careful. If he doesn't state his pro-choice position concisely, it could evolve into a character issue that affects voter perceptions of his leadership skills."

As he has campaigned, Giuliani has sought to lessen the potential fallout from his abortion-rights position by emphasizing that he is personally against it and maintaining that he would name conservative judges to the federal bench who would strictly interpret the Constitution. He also praised the Supreme Court's decision to uphold a ban on what critics call partial-birth abortion _ even though he opposed a very similar measure in the past.

However, he's caught heat for his mayoral record, partly because of the efforts of rival campaigns seeking to ensure that Republican voters are fully aware of it.

Just this week, there were fresh news stories about Giuliani and his then-wife, Donna Hanover, making six contributions totaling $900 in the 1990s to national, state and local chapters of Planned Parenthood. The group is among the country's major advocates of birth control and abortion rights. The donations had been noted in financial disclosure forms Giuliani made public in the 1990s.

As mayor in the 1990s, Giuliani also spoke at a national Planned Parenthood convention, once declared a "Planned Parenthood Day" in New York City and issued a proclamation honoring birth-control advocate Margaret Sanger.

In a 1989 interview with Phil Donahue for Newsday, Giuliani said he would advise his own daughter against terminating a pregnancy. But, he said, should she decide to get an abortion anyway, "I'd give my daughter money for it."

In Huntsville, Ala., on Wednesday, Giuliani said donating to Planned Parenthood is consistent with his support for abortion rights because the agency provides women information on adoption as well as abortion. "I want women to be able to make a choice," he said. "I think that's fair, I think that's the way it should be done."

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EDITOR'S NOTE _ Liz Sidoti covers presidential politics for The Associated Press.