Mrs. Bush supports abortion rights

NEW YORK (AP) — Abortion rights supporters had long suspected they had a secret ally in Barbara Bush. Now it can be told: They were right.

Mrs. Bush kept quiet on abortion while her husband was vice president and president. She shared her opinion in an interview to be shown Sept. 9 on ABC’s “20-20” coinciding with the release of her autobiography, “A Memoir.”

“For the first time, you do give your opinion. And you are pro-choice,” said host Barbara Walters.

“That’s right,” Mrs. Bush said, “and that comes as no surprise to George Bush.”

Her husband supports abortion only in cases of rape or incest or when the woman’s life is at risk. Mrs. Bush backs a woman’s right to choose — period.

“I don’t feel I can be judgmental with others,” she said. “With George, it’s really against his religion to have an abortion. He thinks it’s killing. I don’t argue with that.”