Late last month, 800 battleground state voters were asked how they felt about Congress’s war on women, and the results are in: they’re pissed off!
Among those polled in 8 battleground states, a near consensus exists that women should have access to birth control, that insurers should cover it, and that the decision to use birth control is a private one. Kind of a no brainer, considering nearly every woman will use some form of contraceptive in her lifetime.
Responders showed strong opposition(60%) to the Blunt Amendment, and nearly half said they’d be less likely to support a candidate for office if he or she voted for it. That number includes a large number of Independents (53%) and Republicans (40%), showing that this issue is not ruled by party lines. The Blunt Amendment was voted down by the Senate, but not before we were subjected to some serious bullshit by Republicans and their pundits.
Candidates who have lead this new wave of disturbing legislation would be wise to reconsider their stance on women’s rights, as the study shows it has the potential to impact races. According to the survey, constituents feel very strongly about maintaining women’s access to basic health care: 63% of those polled oppose recent attacks on Planned Parenthood’s funding, 57% oppose so-called conscience clauses for medical providers to opt out of prescribing birth control, and 55% support government-mandated birth control coverage.
Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said, “Americans support the contraceptive coverage benefit because birth control is basic health care, and is fundamental to improving women’s health and the health of their families. Birth control opponents are far out of touch with the health care needs of women in this country.” The poll was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and commissioned by Planned Parenthood and EMILY’s List, an organization dedicated to electing pro-choice Democratic women.
Looks like this ill-conceived war on women may have a silver lining come November. Let’s show these politicians how we feel about their misogynistic and derailing platforms when we vote them out of office!
Image source Daily Beast
Text source Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research
