The poll comes at a delicate moment for Obama, who campaigned saying abortion should be "safe, legal and rare."
During his first three months in office, he took a number of steps that infuriated abortion foes. For example, he lifted abortion restrictions on foreign family-planning groups that receive U.S. funding, and he ended President George W. Bush's ban on embryonic stem cell research.
But Obama has tried at times to appease opponents of abortion rights.
Last month, he backpedaled on a campaign vow to enact the Freedom of Choice Act, which would guarantee the right to legal abortion even if Roe vs. Wade were overturned. He now says the legislation is not a priority.
But Yoest said abortion foes were not placated. "There has been such an avalanche of pro-abortion activity that it's jaw-dropping. It's not just that his rhetoric doesn't square with reality; the gap is Grand Canyon-size. I think this administration has fundamentally miscalculated how out of step they are with the American people."
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robin.abcarian@latimes.com
