GOPer Embraces The Pill After Retreating On Personhood Position

Rep. Cory Gardner (R-CO), the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Colorado, released a new ad Tuesday arguing for easy access to birth control.

The new ad, titled “For You” comes months after Gardner disavowed his support for the strict personhood stance on abortion, which effectively outlaws all types of birth control.

The new ad highlights Gardner’s shift since he jumped into the race for U.S. Senate to replace Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO).

“What’s the difference between me and Mark Udall on contraception? I believe the pill ought to be available over the counter, round the clock, without a prescription — cheaper and easier, for you,” Garder said in the ad, which showed a number of women nodding their heads as Gardner talked.

Gardner goes on to say that Udall’s “plan is different. He wants to keep government bureaucrats between you and your healthcare plan. That means more politics, and more profits for drug companies. My plan means more rights, more freedom, and more control for you — and that’s a big difference.”

For months, Udall and his supporters have relentlessly attacked Gardner on women’s issues. This new ad seems to be one of Gardner’s moves to respond to those attacks. In June, Gardner wrote an editorial for The Denver Post in which he argued for over-the-counter availability of the pill.

“It is safe, reliable, and effective, and presents very few risks or complications for the more than 10 million women who use it,” Gardner wrote.

According to The Denver Post, which first reported the ad, Udall said that Gardner’s position “has some merit” but isn’t perfect.

“I believe it would put more barriers to women’s health and contraception,” Udall said. He noted that through the Obamacare consumers can get birth control for free and costs would rise if oral contraceptives were sold at retail price over over-the-counter.

Watch Gardner’s ad below:

The TPM Polltracker average gives Udall a 1 point lead over Gardner.