header graphic

Planned Parenthood Votes

"Romney Would Turn Back the Clock On Women's Health" +
:30 ad from Sept. 10, 2012.

[Music] Female Announcer: Mitt Romney would turn back the clock for women.

Romney (clip): "Do I believe the Supreme Court should overturn Roe v. Wade?  Yes..."

Romney (clip): "Planned Parenthood, we're going to get rid of that..."

Female Announcer: Today millions of women rely on Planned Parenthood health centers for basic health care, including life saving cancer screenings. 

And millions more know we should be making our personal medical decisions, not Mitt Romney.  [SFX of TV shutting off]

Planned Parenthood Votes is responsible for the content of this advertising, because Mitt Romney is wrong for women's health.

Notes: The Sept. 10 press release on this ad...

New TV Ad from Planned Parenthood Votes Highlights Romney's Dangerous Record on Women’s Health 

“Mitt Romney would turn back the clock for women.”

Washington, DC — On the heels of the Democratic National Convention, Planned Parenthood Votes is running a new 30-second TV ad in Virginia called “Turn Back the Clock on Women’s Health.”  The TV ad highlights Mitt Romney’s extreme positions on issues of importance to women and their health, including his stance to overturn Roe v. Wade and his pledge to get rid of Planned Parenthood.

The Virginia ad buy, which totals at $1.85 million, will begin airing on Monday for five weeks on cable television in the Northern Virginia market.  It comes as part of the organization's biggest-ever campaign effort — the group has already spent $1.4 million in Iowa, Florida, and Virginia, has taken the lead in unprecedented new research on women voters’ beliefs and voting propensities, has committed “boots on the ground” from staff, campus activists, and nationwide supporters, and now is investing an additional $3.2 million on ads set to run in Ohio and Virginia markets over the next several weeks.

You can watch the 30-second TV ad here.

The strategy behind the ad comes from two key findings from an August 9-13 poll of women voters in six battleground states, including Virginia:

1. The record and views of Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan on women’s health issues have a measurable and dramatic impact — making women voters less likely to vote for the Romney/Ryan ticket in November.

2. An overwhelming majority of women voters, a critical swing population who will determine the outcome of this year’s election, trust Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Planned Parenthood Votes when it comes to issues affecting the health of women and teens in America.  Women surveyed place a premium on Planned Parenthood Action Fund's voice in sorting out and advocating important health care-related issues.

You can view the poll here. 

“The more women learn about Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan’s record and positions on women’s health, the more appalled they are,” said Dawn Laguens, executive vice president for Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Planned Parenthood Votes.  "Politics has no place in a woman’s personal medical decisions.  Women voters believe that, and in November their votes will reflect it.”

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have vowed to overturn Roe v. Wade and end safe and legal abortion; have said they support extreme “personhood” measures that would give full constitutional rights to fertilized eggs; would defund Planned Parenthood, cutting off women’s access to preventive care including cancer screenings and birth control; and have promised to shut down the nation’s family planning program that more than five million people a year rely on for birth control, cancer screenings, and other care.

Nearly three million patients come to Planned Parenthood health centers every year — not to make a political statement, but to get high-quality, affordable health care.  Planned Parenthood health centers see more than two million patients for birth control every year, and provide nearly 750,000 breast cancer screenings and more than four million STI tests/treatments.  Preventive care and birth control are economic issues for women and families, and supporting family planning is smart fiscal policy for the country.

In 2011, the seven Planned Parenthood health centers in Virginia served 23,728 patients by providing a wide range of primary and reproductive health services, including 3,883 breast exams and 4,117 cervical cancer screenings (i.e. Pap tests) that detected 635 abnormal results that required further diagnosis and treatment.  It is these preventive services that would be cut under the Romney/Ryan administration.

“Virginia women need access to the preventive health services that Planned Parenthood health centers provide.  That’s why Planned Parenthood Votes is redoubling our efforts to educate voters in the state about the Romney/Ryan agenda and how dangerous it is for women’s health,” said Laguens.

The ad script is as follows:
Voice Over: Mitt Romney would turn back the clock for women.
Romney:  "Do I believe the Supreme Court should overturn Roe v. Wade?  Yes."
Romney:  "Planned Parenthood - we're going to get rid of that."
Voice Over:  Today, millions of women rely on Planned Parenthood health centers for basic health care, including lifesaving cancer screenings. And millions more know we should be making our personal medical decisions, NOT Mitt Romney.
The ad ends with: “Mitt Romney is wrong for women’s health.”

###

Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including voter education, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy.