9:58 p.m. | Updated
The Obama campaign, trying to shore up the president's support among female voters in crucial swing states, is hitting Mitt Romney and Representative Paul D. Ryan in a new ad that targets their positions on a number of issues important to voters who support abortion rights.
Being broadcast in Virginia, Colorado, Iowa, Florida, Ohio and Nevada, the ad, called “The Same,†tries to draw a contrast between Mr. Obama and the Republican ticket on social issues - women's health in particular - which Democrats believe will be critical in November.
The ad accuses Mr. Romney of promising to get rid of Planned Parenthood, a family-planning group, and of backing proposals that would take away a woman's right to choose. It touts Mr. Obama for fighting Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.
“No misleading ad can c hange the fact that President Obama's economic policies have devastated women and their families,†said Amanda Henneberg, a spokeswoman for the Romney campaign. “Under President Obama, hundreds of thousands of women have lost their jobs, poverty among women is the highest in nearly two decades and half of recent graduates can't find a good job. Women and their families have struggled in the Obama economy, and Mitt Romney has a plan for a stronger middle class that will jumpstart the economy, bring back jobs and help women across the country.â€
