McCain’s position is actually very clear: “Roe v. Wade is a flawed
decision that must be overturned,” as his campaign Web site puts it.
“The reversal of Roe v. Wade represents only one step in the long path
toward ending abortion.”

In Thursday’s column, I explored the debate between proponents and
opponents of abortion rights over what Democratic presidential
candidate Barack Obama’s legislative voting record says about the
extent of his devotion to abortion rights.

But there’s no debate to explore in today’s column. Proponents and
opponents agree that McCain has consistently opposed abortion since he
came to Congress in 1983, even recently withdrawing his suggestion that
the Republican platform should allow for exceptions in cases of rape
and incest.

What there is to explore is confusion, specifically the sort of confusion Bartoshevich revealed.

“A lot of women, because they see him as a maverick, assume [McCain] is
a moderate” on abortion, Emily’s List President Ellen Malcolm told me
during a conference call with reporters Wednesday morning. They see him
occasionally “taking on the establishment,” and extrapolate from that a
“constellation” of liberal views he does not, in fact hold, Malcolm
said.

A Planned Parenthood Action Fund poll of 1,205 women in 16 battleground
states conducted in February by Peter D. Hart Research Associates found
McCain supported by roughly half the respondents who described
themselves as “pro-choice” on abortion. Yet nearly three in four of
those “pro-choice” McCain supporters admitted they didn’t know his
position on the issue.

Yes, that was in February, and Planned Parenthood sponsored the poll.
But many, many other scientific polls in recent years have shown public
support—nearly always greater than 60 percent—for preserving Roe vs.
Wade.

Whatever its legal and practical defects, Roe guarantees to women basic
reproductive rights. And many of them apparently don’t want to subject
those rights to repeal by voters or state legislators, which is likely
what would happen if the decision were overturned.

Whether supporters of abortion rights are morally justified is a debate for another day that will continue for another century.

And whether abortion is really so important that your vote should
depend on it when the nation is at war, the economy is sagging, energy
and climate crises loom and tens of millions of Americans are without
health care is, of course, your call.

Just don’t be confused when you make it.