Poll: Female voters say Romney ‘out of step’ on women’s health issues

Female voters in swing states see Mitt Romney as “out of step” on issues of women’s health, according to a new poll commissioned by Planned Parenthood’s advocacy arm.

The survey, conducted by Hart Research Associates, lends credence to Democrats’ argument that the presumptive GOP presidential nominee is on the wrong end of a steep gender gap, largely because of his opposition to abortion rights and his positions on issues such as contraception.

{mosads}By a 20-point margin, women surveyed in the Planned Parenthood Action Fund poll said Romney is “out of step” on women’s issues. That number increased as women heard “specific information about Romney’s on-the-record statements about women’s preventive and reproductive health,” the Hart polling memo says.

After hearing those descriptions, 64 percent of respondents said Romney is out of step.

President Obama had a 13-point advantage over Romney, which grew to 22 points after women heard a description of Romney’s positions.

“It comes as no surprise that the more women learn about Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan’s record and positions on women’s health, the more appalled they are. Politics has no place in a woman’s personal medical decisions. Women voters believe that, and in November their votes will reflect it,” said Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Planned Parenthood and other groups have said the selection of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as the GOP’s vice presidential candidate would further erode Romney’s standing with female voters. Ryan opposes abortion rights even in cases of rape and incest, and he took the lead on GOP proposals to eliminate Planned Parenthood’s federal funding.

In the latest Planned Parenthood survey, half of the women polled after Ryan’s selection said the choice made them less likely to vote for Romney, according to the polling memo.