WASHINGTON — The battle for women voters in the Democratic presidential primary is taking on new life following criticisms levied against Senator Clinton by Elizabeth Edwards, who said her husband would be a better advocate for women than the candidate gunning to be America’s first female president.

In an interview with Salon.com published yesterday, Mrs. Edwards questioned Mrs. Clinton’s record and position on issues such as health care, poverty, and abortion, suggesting the former first lady has not spoken out with enough force on women’s issues out of a desire to appeal more broadly in her bid for the White House.

Mrs. Edwards, whose husband, John, is running third among declared Democrats in fund raising and most national polls, voiced a sense of compassion for Mrs. Clinton’s position, but only to a point.

“Look, I’m sympathetic, because when I worked as a lawyer, I was the only woman in these rooms, too, and you want to reassure them you’re as good as a man,” Mrs. Edwards said. “And sometimes you feel you have to behave as a man and not talk about women’s issues.”

She continued: “I’m sympathetic — she wants to be commander in chief. But she’s just not as vocal a women’s advocate as I want to see. John is.”

Mrs. Edwards also disparaged Mrs. Clinton’s stance on abortion, singling out the phrase, “safe, legal, and rare” that she and President Clinton have repeatedly used to describe their position. The slogan has often been seen as an attempt by the Clintons to voice their support for a woman’s right to choose without alienating abortion opponents or those who may be “squeamish” about the practice.

“Hillary may be expressing exactly what she believes — I hope she is,” Mrs. Edwards said. “But the wiggle room in what she says makes me feel uncomfortable. I don’t think she has found the best way yet to explain her position to move the people who are squeamish.”

Mrs. Edwards’s comments appeared on the same day that she, Mrs. Clinton, and Senator Obama of Illinois addressed hundreds of members of Planned Parenthood, the reproductive health care provider and a key interest group that lobbies on women’s issues. Mrs. Edwards did not criticize Mrs. Clinton by name in her remarks, delivered on behalf of her husband, and the New York senator made no reference to the Salon interview when she spoke late yesterday afternoon at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington.

But notably, Mrs. Clinton did not use the “safe, legal, and rare” phrase at all during her speech. While touting her efforts as first lady and in the Senate to reduce unintended pregnancies and abortions, she voiced her support for abortion rights in no uncertain terms and lambasted a litany of Bush administration policies that she said were part of an effort to “dismantle” reproductive rights for women.

A senior adviser to Mrs. Clinton, Ann Lewis, said after the speech that “safe, legal, and rare” was “not the only formulation we use.” It is useful for short sound bites, Ms. Lewis said, but she pointed out that Mrs. Clinton yesterday had 25 minutes to articulate her position on abortion much more fully. Neither Ms. Lewis nor a spokesman for the Clinton campaign would comment on Mrs. Edwards’s remarks in the Salon interview.

Mrs. Edwards has jabbed her husband’s top rival before. In December, she apologized to Mrs. Clinton after being quoted as saying that she was more “joyful” than the former first lady and led a happier life.

There was no such apology yesterday. Instead, the Edwards campaign stood firmly behind Mrs. Edwards’s statements. “Of course, Elizabeth thinks Senator Edwards is the best candidate for president,” a campaign spokeswoman, Colleen Murray, said. “He has consistently led on women’s issues, including the fight for health care, education, and to alleviate poverty.”

Mr. Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, has tried hard to outflank Mrs. Clinton on issues like the Iraq war and health care, but he has appeared reluctant to criticize her by name. She and Mr. Obama are increasing their lead over Mr. Edwards in fund raising and several polls, and the salvo by his wife may signal an intention to take a more aggressive approach.

Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama each met with loud applause and a standing ovation from the Planned Parenthood audience yesterday as they pledged to support women’s rights and appoint Supreme Court justices who were not intent on overturning Roe v. Wade, the decision that legalized abortion. They did not mention each other, but Mr. Obama did get in a subtle dig at the Clinton legacy, bemoaning “culture wars” that he quipped were “just so ’90s.” Mrs. Clinton, in turn, boasted of achievements made during her husband’s administration that she said President Bush had unraveled.