Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new poll commissioned by Planned Parenthood finds 16 percent of women in top presidential battleground states can't say whether John McCain's abortion views match their own. The abortion business worries the results show women who support abortion may back McCain because they don't realize he's pro-life.

The poll also shows telling those voters McCain opposes abortion makes pro-abortion voters less likely to support him.

Conducted by Hart Research Associates, the survey finds about 25 percent of pro-abortion voters who back McCain are less likely to support him when they learn he favors overturning Roe v. Wade and supports abstinence-only education.

It found that 51 percent of women polled say they don't know enough about where McCain stands on abortion to say whether their abortion views match.

According to Hart, "The simple arithmetic of these findings suggests that just filling in McCain’s actual voting record and his publicly stated positions on a handful of key issues has the potential to diminish his total vote share."

Hart added that when matched up against either pro-abortion candidate, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, telling pro-abortion voters about McCain's abortion stance could cost him 17 to 20 percent of his current level of support.

The poll also found that 49 percent of the women backing McCain say they are pro-abortion. About 46 percent who support him over Obama want Roe upheld while 47 percent who back him against Clinton say the same.

Planned Parenthood has already announced it will spend $10 million this election cycle to attack McCain on abortion.

The poll results will likely confirm to Planned Parenthood leaders that the pro-abortion group needs to spend more on vote education efforts.

Dana Goldstein, a blogger for the liberal web site American Prospect, responded to the results by saying she hopes Planned Parenthood will fund an attack ad telling voters McCain wants to reverse Roe.
Hart Research Associates conducted the poll between February 12 and 18 of voters in 16 battleground states.