PLANNED PARENTHOOD — New poll results reveal that access to birth control is a winning issue for an overwhelming majority of women voters, who are closely following the conversation around the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby because it is so deeply grounded in their personal lives. Nearly three out of four women say this issue is important to them personally. Emphasizing the important role birth control will play in midterm elections this November, 57 percent of women voters say they would be more likely to support a candidate who opposes allowing employers to refuse to cover birth control. This is especially impactful for young women, African Americans, and Latinas.
Elisa Cafferata, CEO of Nevada Advocates for Planned Parenthood Affiliates (NAPPA), said: “During the 2014 election, Planned Parenthood affiliates will be working hard to educate voters and hold elected officials and candidates accountable for their positions regarding these and other important women’s health issues.”
The poll of women voters between the ages of 18 and 55, conducted by Hart Research Associates and commissioned by Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF), also reveals that this critical segment of the electorate is closely following and highly motivated by the issue of so-called “religious objections” that allow employers to deny women coverage of birth control. You can view the polling memo here: http://bit.ly/1qDl2V7
“This poll shows that women are focused on the Hobby Lobby ruling; they’re angry about it, and they’re going to vote based on it this November. The Hobby Lobby decision has lit a fuse that cannot be put out. Plain and simple: this is an issue of basic economic and health care equality for women and their families and will be a rallying call this November. That’s what we’ve been hearing from the more than 200,000 people that signed our ‘Join the Dissent’ petition and our supporters across the country who can’t believe there are still politicians that want to take us back,” said Dawn Laguens, Executive Vice President, Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
The Hobby Lobby ruling, which gives bosses a free pass to deny their employees access to birth control, has been a rallying cry for our supporters across the country who are ready to stand up and defeat politicians that are siding with the bosses. More than 250,000 supporters signed our “Join the Dissent” petition and/or called their members of Congress urging them to do the right thing and support the “Not My Boss’ Business” bill when it came up for a vote in the Senate.
On August 2-3, Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations across the country will be participating in a national weekend of action to engage their communities around these issues and encourage them to vote in support of women’s health this November.
