Republicans have found a way to combat Democrats’ “war on women” strategy by calling for more open access to contraception, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Tuesday.
GOP Senate candidates have made inroads in North Carolina and Colorado by saying the answer to this year’s Supreme Court decision ruling that companies cannot be forced to pay for employees’ contraceptive care is to make birth control medications available over the counter without a prescription.
Pro-choice activists and Democrats have vehemently rejected that, arguing that birth control pills will actually become more expensive if offered over the counter. Planned Parenthood’s political arm has begun running ads attacking Thom Tillis, the GOP candidate in North Carolina, and Rep. Cory Gardner, Republicans’ nominee in Colorado.
“The fact that the left has reacted so loudly shows that it is working because I think they realize that this is no longer a tactic they can use,” said Mr. Jindal, who has been calling for over-the-counter access for those 18 and older since 2012. “They can no longer characterize our position.”
Mr. Jindal defended his stance at a breakfast with reporters, hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, where the second-term governor talked about his political future and the possibility of the 2016 presidential run.
Despite his policy papers and numerous appearances in early presidential primary states, the fast-talking 43-year-old is struggling to break through in the crowded field of Republican White House hopefuls. The RealClearPolitics.com average of presidential polls puts him near the back of the pack in Iowa and New Hampshire, which host the first two rounds of the nomination fight.
SEE ALSO: Cory Gardner: Birth control pills should be over-the-counter
Mr. Jindal said he will make a decision on whether to run for presidential after the November election and said it will “have nothing to do with polls or fundraising numbers.”
“It would simply be based on the same decision-making process when I ran for Congress or governor: Do I think I can make a difference? Do I think I have something unique to offer in terms of my specific ideas and experiences?” he said.
On Tuesday, Mr. Jindal laid out an energy policy that touched on familiar GOP themes such as approving the Keystone XL pipeline and opening more federal lands to drilling.
The battle over contraception coverage, meanwhile, has raged on in the wake of the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court ruling, which said that closely held corporations may opt out of an Obamacare rule that requires employers to include contraception in their health plans.
Mr. Jindal and Republicans hailed the decision as a victory for religious liberty.
Democrats said it amounted to an assault on women and have since used it to try to whip up their base ahead of the election. Feminist groups said birth control pill costs for women would rise because insurers would no longer cover it.
SEE ALSO: Bobby Jindal: We’ll take $15M schools grant, but not Common Core requirements
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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