Obama moves to right on abortion?

On top of changes his position on FISA, NAFTA, campaign finance, guns, negotiating with rogue nations, welfare reform, social security taxes, homosexual marriage, and moveon.org's criticism of General David Petraeus one can now add abortion. Here is what Obama told a magazine that opposes abortion:

I have repeatedly said that I think it’s entirely appropriate for states to restrict or even prohibit late-term abortions as long as there is a strict, well-defined exception for the health of the mother. Now, I don’t think that “mental distress” qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term. Otherwise, as long as there is such a medical exception in place, I think we can prohibit late-term abortions. . . .

This would be a major restriction on late-term abortions. Obama who has a perfect pro-abortion voting record, and supports the so-called Freedom of Choice Act, which guarantees that:

A government may not--

(1) deny or interfere with a woman's right to choose--

(A) to bear a child;

(B) to terminate a pregnancy prior to viability; or

(C) to terminate a pregnancy after viability where termination is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman; or

(2) discriminate against the exercise of the rights set forth in paragraph (1) in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information. . . .

His position was quite a surprise to a reporter who asked:

Reporter: You said that mental distress shouldn't be a reason for late-term abortion?

Obama: My only point is this — historically I have been a strong believer in a women's right to choose with her doctor, her pastor and her family. And it is ..I have consistently been saying that you have to have a health exception on many significant restrictions or bans on abortions including late-term abortions. In the past there has been some fear on the part of people who, not only people who are anti-abortion, but people who may be in the middle, that that means that if a woman just doesn't feel good then that is an exception. That's never been the case. I don't think that is how it has been interpreted. My only point is that in an area like partial-birth abortion having a mental, having a health exception can be defined rigorously. It can be defined through physical health, it can be defined by serious clinical mental-health diseases. It is not just a matter of feeling blue. I don't think that's how pro-choice folks have interpreted it. I don't think that's how the courts have interpreted it and I think that's important to emphasize and understand. . . .

So Obama makes a clear statement to an anti-abortion magazine and then appears to back away from that statement when he talks to the media.