Mitt Romney is running ads explaining that he does not object to birth control. But no one questions his stance that women should have, as the ads say, “access” to contraception. They already do. They also have access to Coach handbags and flights to Acapulco. And that’s where the Romney smokescreen, intended to close a gender gap favoring Democrats, needs clearing.

Most women of childbearing age would consider birth control an essential part of their health care. But of the medical services employers must provide under the new health care law, Romney singles out birth control as one thing that should be optional.

Sure, most women can afford birth control. Women who lead disciplined lives would move heaven and earth to manage their fertility. From a practical standpoint, these women can be counted on to take care of business. To them, this exclusion in coverage is merely insulting.