U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and his former Democratic rival Hillary Clinton teamed up in New York Thursday, to address a group of women voters.
Obama is trying to win over Democratic women who adamantly supported Clinton during the primaries and are reluctant to fully back the presumptive candidate.
Clinton told the group that those who voted for her have "much in common" with those who voted for Obama.
In his speech, Obama advocated gender equality and vowed relentless support for reproductive rights.
He said he was proud to receive the endorsement of a non-profit group that lobbies to keep abortion legal, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
The group has rejected Obama's Republican rival, John McCain, who has called abortion a "human tragedy", and who believes a Supreme Court case protecting the right to abortion, Roe v. Wade, should be overturned.
Some abortion opponents are attacking Obama's position. One religious organization, the Christian Defense Coalition, is running ads labeling Obama "the abortion president."
In a separate development, Obama was at the center of a controversy after civil rights leader Jesse Jackson made crude remarks about the presumptive Democratic candidate.
During a break in a television interview with Fox News last Sunday, Jackson was recorded telling a fellow guest that Obama was condescending to black audiences during recent speeches about morality and responsibility.
His comments included a crude remark about castrating the Illinois senator.
Jackson issued a hasty apology Wednesday after learning Fox News would televise his comments later in the day. He said he did not realize his microphone was on, but acknowledged his comments were not helpful.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
