ROCHESTER, N.H. — On Friday, Bernie Sanders finally bowed down to the establishment.

Three days after getting himself in hot water with several key liberal constituencies by dismissing Planned Parenthood, NARAL and the Human Rights Campaign as "part of the establishment," Sanders gave ground on the point, releasing a statement highlighting the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and singing the praises of "Planned Parenthood, NARAL and all Americans who have been fighting the never-ending attacks on women’s right to choose."


His remarks followed a day after his first attempt to quell the furor on the left over his initial remark, which was meant to downplay his inability to win the formal endorsements of the prominent progressive groups.

At multiple New Hampshire events on Thursday, reproductive rights never came up in Sanders' speeches. Instead, the Vermont senator focused on family leave and his support of same-sex marriage. No questions from audience members about reproductive rights and the candidate didn't move to bring that topic into the discussion.

But on Friday, the 43rd anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, Sanders made certain to remind the audience of his support for reproductive rights, and promised to expand funding of Planned Parenthood.

“I am a very strong supporter of Planned Parenthood,” the Vermont senator said at a Concord rally. “I have a lifetime voting record of 100%.”

The Clinton campaign and allied abortion rights groups have vigorously fanned the flames of outrage in recent days.

"Really Senator Sanders? How can you say that groups like @PPact [Planned Parenthood Action Fund] and @HRC [Human Rights Campaign] are part of the "establishment" you're taking on?" Clinton tweeted Wednesday.

Stephanie Schriock, the president of EMILY's List and a former board member for pro-Clinton super PAC Priorities USA, published a Medium piece late Thursday declaring Clinton the "only candidate in this race — from either party" who's a champion of abortion access for women. Not Sanders, Schriock wrote.

“I was as shocked as many of my progressive friends were when Bernie Sanders dismissed Planned Parenthood as part of the establishment he’s fighting against — just because they endorsed Hillary. It was petty, it was counter-productive, and it was wrong,” she wrote. “Bernie Sanders just doesn’t get it.”

For Sanders, changing the conversation was an imperative given the historic backdrop of the day – and the counter-programming he was up against. At one Hillary Clinton event Friday, she was accompanied by Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. On Thursday, Hogue had also taken to Medium to criticize Sanders ‘establishment’ remark.

“Senator Sanders delivers remarks multiple times a day, every day, but he has yet to make the crisis facing America’s women and families with regard to abortion access a meaningful part of his campaign,” Hogue wrote, noting that his health care plan did not mention women or reproductive health.

At Clinton’s town hall at the Rochester Opera House here Friday, while the candidate herself avoided allusions to Sanders on reproductive rights, New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen did it for her in her introduction of the former secretary of state.

"She did not back down on women's rights around the world and she is not going to back down on women's rights here at home," Shaheen said. The senator noted other 2016 candidates couldn't have handled the grilling Clinton took before the Republican-run House Benghazi Committee.

"Not Donald Trump, not Ted Cruz, and not Bernie Sanders," Shaheen said.

The focus on Sanders’ commitment to abortion rights came amid recent polling showing Sanders leading Clinton in both Iowa and New Hampshire. A new Suffolk University poll released Friday found Sanders beating Clinton 50 percent to 41 percent in New Hampshire.

Despite Sanders’ attempts to put the issue to rest, it’s likely to linger in the run-up to the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses: Following the Rochester town hall, Clinton directly addressed it again Friday evening at a NARAL Pro-Choice New Hampshire dinner in Concord.

“We need someone in the Oval Office who understands NARAL and Planned Parenthood are not part of the establishment,” she said.

On Saturday, in Iowa, Clinton had another high-profile abortion rights surrogate lined up to make her case at two events: Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund.