Ad hits McCain on birth control stand

Planned Parenthood's political action committee released a new TV ad today hitting presumptive Republican nominee John McCain's stand on birth control.

The ad highlights a pregnant pause when McCain was asked last week about some insurers covering the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, but not birth control measures. "I don't know enough about it to give you an informed answer," McCain, hand stroking his chin, finally answered in an interview that has made the rounds of the liberal blogosphere ever since.

The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is among the groups trying to convince women -- particularly those who backed Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primaries -- that they should throw their support to presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama and not support McCain. McCain, they argue, has a flawed record on women's issues, including opposition to abortion rights.

"John McCain is out of touch when it comes to women's health care," Cecile Richards, the fund's president, said in a statement accompanying the ad. "Birth control is basic health care for women. But, John McCain ducked a straightforward question about whether he thinks insurance companies should cover birth control, like they do Viagra.”

"The more women know about McCain, they more they see that John McCain is out of touch on women's health care," Richards added. "This ad is a powerful visual showing women that John McCain has no answer when it comes to protecting women's health."

UPDATE: Blair Latoff, a Republican National Committee spokeswoman, responded to the ad: "Women who are in dire need of quality health care are not benefiting from misleading partisan attack ads. Through more choice, innovation, and competition, John McCain will ensure that every American has the health care they deserve."

The spot will air on shows with high female viewership, including the season premiere of "Project Runway," one of Bravo’s highest rated shows; Lifetime’s top-rated show, "Army Wives," as well as "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in select markets, the group said. It will air in key battleground states, including Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, and Wisconsin, as well as Washington, D.C.