Mr. Clinton's decision to devote his address to abortion reflected the views of the White House that the legislative defeat of Dr. Foster could be turned into a political gain for the President with swing voters at a time when two leading candidates for the Republican Presidential nomination, Senators Bob Dole of Kansas and Phil Gramm of Texas, were vying for support from the conservative wing of their party.

And it was the latest indication that Mr. Clinton's strategy going into the 1996 Presidential race is to position himself as a centrist on economic issues while showcasing his positions on social issues that will appeal to swing voters. Next week he plans to begin broadcasting campaign-style commercials emphasizing his anti-crime initiatives.

Today's speech also re-emphasized the President's commitment to abortion rights just as the House was preparing to consider at least a dozen abortion-related bills, many of them drawn from the Christian Coalition's political and social manifesto, "The Contract With the American Family."

The House has already passed legislation that would reinstate a ban on abortions at American military hospitals overseas. Among other measures, it is also considering legislation to limit Federal financing for Medicaid abortions to cases in which a woman's life is threatened and end financing for abortions when pregnancies result from rape and incest.

Mr. Clinton singled out both measures for criticism. He said the ban on abortions in overseas military hospitals could force a servicewoman or serviceman's wife to fly home to America or else depend on an inadequate medical center "so that a woman who's willing to risk her life for her country should also have to risk her life for a legal medical procedure." He said, "This seems to me to be extreme."