Democrats hammer Gardner on abortion, birth control

Two Democratic groups are hitting back at Colorado Republican Rep. Cory Gardner on women’s issues, seeking to highlight his record on abortion and birth control in two new ads.

{mosads}They come as Gardner’s made an emphatic play for female voters in his campaign battle with Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.).

One ad, from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, charges that Gardner “wants to make abortion a crime,” as one person in the ad declares with surprise.

The ad highlights a bill Gardner sponsored in 2007 as a state legislator that would have subjected doctors who performed abortions in most cases to a harsh penalty, up to 12 years in prison, which would be a harsher sentence than many convicted rapists receive, according to a Colorado district attorney.

“Wow,” a woman says at the end of the ad. “That’s just nuts,” another man adds.

Another woman declares: “Cory Gardner should not be interfering in women’s lives.”

The second ad, from Democratic groups MoveOn.org and NARAL Pro-Choice America, targets Gardner on his proposal to offer birth control over the counter. It notes his sponsorship for a federal “personhood” bill, which would effectively outlaw some forms of birth control, and says his OTC birth control proposal could cost women $600 per year in out-of-pocket medical costs.

Gardner and Udall have been engaged for months in a fierce back-and-forth over women’s heath issues in an effort to win the support of voting bloc that’s likely to be crucial to control to the outcome of the election. Gardner’s efforts, however, haven’t yet moved the needle, as another poll out this weekend showed Udall with a solid single-digit lead over the Republican.