What McCain actually said there was "health for the mother. You know, that's been stretched by the pro-abortion movement in America to mean almost anything." (See Transcript of Third Debate.)

Which isn't actually the same as "Health of the mother, bullshit! You liberals just want any possible excuse to kill babies!". Paraphrases have to be a bit closer to the original than that.

I know that in the UK the health ground for abortion, which was introduced on a general understanding it meant cases where there was grave risk to the life of the mother, has in practice been interpreted far more widely.

Though I'd be inclined to see McCain's priorities here as more founded on a wish to appease his electoral base rather than on any particular principal. I am sure he'd have no difficulty at all in arguing in the opposite direction if it was required.