The White House said Tuesday it was "possible" President Clinton could support a compromise proposal by Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle on banning so-called partial-birth abortions.
Debate on banning the procedure was to begin this week in the Senate when it takes up a bill sponsored by Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., that would allow the procedure only when a woman's life is at risk.Daschle has drafted a compromise that would include bans on all late-term abortions with exceptions for cases where the woman's life was in danger or where she risked "grievous injury" to her physical health.
"I think that we are looking very carefully at Sen. Daschle's proposed language and we believe that its possible for the White House to support that language," White House press secretary Mike McCurry said.
He stressed, however, that the White House was completing a review of the bill and that a recommendation had not been presented to Clinton, who vetoed legislation last year because it did not allow for exceptions to protect the health of the mother.
The president has said he would veto the ban again this year unless it provided an exception in cases where continuing the pregnancy threatened a woman's health.