Gay marriage, abortion back in campaign spotlight

NEW YORK Abortion and gay marriage. For years, they've been lumped together as the paramount wedge issues of U.S. politics  hot-button topics in the vortex of sexuality, personal freedom and public policy.

Yet these two issues, prominent as ever this election, are evolving in intriguingly different ways.Same-sex marriage vaulted into the spotlight when President Barack Obama declared his support this past week, and conservatives restated their opposition. Republicans deny Democrats' claims that they are waging a "war on women" that includes infringement of abortion rights.

Polls on same-sex marriage show a huge shift in public opinion in a decade, from overwhelming opposition to a slight edge in favor. By contrast, attitudes toward abortion have scarcely budged over several decades, with a modest majority of Americans favoring some abortion rights.