Abortion and the 'Health' of the Mother

In the second Presidential Debate and at rallies since, John McCain and Sarah Palin have continually referred to the 'health' of the mother in cases of abortion as a non-issue. Not only am I baffled by the air-quotes, I cannot believe that anyone would say a mother's health is not at issue in regards to abortion legislation.
My personal belief and hope is that no one would want an abortion, but I will concede that it is not the place for government to decide the legality of a mother acting completely within her rights. With this said, I know the stance of the Republican Party is NO ABORTIONS - EVER! but isn't reducing health to air-quotes going a bit too far? According to John McCain, it's just an excuse mothers use when they have abortions, which makes it sound like there are women out there who get pregnant and have abortions just for kicks and need excuses when they explain it to their friends and doctors. There are cases, though, where mothers are actually at real risk during their pregnancies. With that said, how can anyone still have any respect for McCain and Palin if they insist upon preying on the extreme Right's beliefs on life to the extent of downplaying real medical consequences?