Will Mitt Romney lose women voters over Planned Parenthood remark?

Romney has personally avoided the issue since Fehrnstrom's comments Monday night, but his campaign released a statement suggesting it was morally irresponsible "to borrow money from China to fund our nation's leading abortion provider."

"The real question should be why President Obama thinks that is the right course for our nation," Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said.

Democrats, meanwhile, have intensified their push to exploit Romney's remark. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi described it as an "an assault on the judgment of women." Democratic congresswomen and party officials from across the nation issued similar statements and hosted conference calls with reporters, and the Democratic National Committee released a new video seizing on the comment.

Democrats hope to keep the controversy going as long as they can. They seemed to score political points in recent weeks as the Republican presidential contest was consumed by President Barack Obama's decision to compel insurance companies to cover contraception, even for employees of religious institutions who oppose the practice. Republicans, Romney among them, criticized the president's decision, framing the issue as one of religious freedom, while Democrats charged it was about fundamental access to birth control.

The focus from the economy to social issues concerned some Republicans in Washington and on the campaign trail alike. In recent days, it appeared that the party was beginning to move on.

The Planned Parenthood debate offers new challenges for Romney, who has struggled to convince his party's most passionate voters that he's an authentic conservative.

As a gubernatorial candidate in 2002, Romney signed a Planned Parenthood questionnaire that documents broad support for the organization he now says he would like to strip of federal funding.

He said, for example, that he supported using state tax dollars to fund abortion services through Medicaid for low-income women, according to a copy of the signed questionnaire. He also pledged support for increased access to emergency contraception such as the "morning after pill," which he now condemns as an "abortive pill."

Romney concedes that he shifted from being pro-choice to anti-abortion after becoming governor. But he insists he has been consistent on all other social issues.

Saul offered this comment when asked about the Planned Parenthood questionnaire: "Mitt Romney is firmly pro-life and he explained his reasons for becoming pro-life many years ago."

It's unclear if that answer will satisfy his critics — Republicans or Democrats.

RELATED: Nine verbal gaffes by Mitt Romney

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