McCain: GOP needs to move away from birth control debate

By Meghashyam Mali - 03/18/12 02:07 PM ET

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Sunday that Republicans needed to fight the 'perception' that their policies were anti-women.

McCain, on NBC's "Meet the Press," was asked by host David Gregory if there was "something of a war on women among Republicans."

"I think we have to fix that," said McCain. "I think that there is a perception out there, because of the way that this whole contraception issue played out."

Polls suggest that Republicans are losing the public relations battle over the Obama administration's contraception mandate, which would force religious institutions to provide birth control coverage to employees. GOP lawmakers have painted the ruling as an attack on religious liberty, but Democrats have portrayed the debate as an attack on women's health, a view a recent Bloomberg poll found six in ten American agree with.

"We need to get off of that issue, in my view," added McCain. "I think we ought to respect the right of women to make choices in their lives and make that clear. And get back onto what the American people really care about: jobs and the economy."

McCain was also asked about a new Arizona contraception bill, which would allow employers to refuse to provide coverage for birth control for religious or moral reasons. Critics say the legislation would require employees to explain to their employers why they needed to use birth control.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) has said she will weigh the bill once passed and determine whether to sign or veto it.

McCain though said on Sunday he was “confident that that legislation will not reach the governor's desk. And if it did, it would be vetoed.”

“It certainly doesn't reflect, in my view, the majority view of the people of Arizona,” he said.