When Michelle Obama campaigns today for her husband’s re-election, she will also embody the choice that faces women voters on Election Day.

A recent poll by the Associated Press suggests Mitt Romney has erased Obama’s lead among women voters and that the erasure has to do with Romney’s perceived strength on economic policies.

The uncertain truth of that belief aside, the economy is not the single issue of this election, and women, along with everyone else, cannot lose sight of that.

Women’s health and social issues such as equal pay, abortion and birth control are fated to change if a Romney administration takes power, and the policies coming from the White House would look drastically different on women’s issues than in an Obama presidency.

According to Romney’s campaign website, the Republican candidate believes “the right next step is for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.” Likewise, if elected president, he promised to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood, an organization he called an “abortion advocate”; in actuality, it provides substantive health care to one-in-five American women over the course of their lives.  

In an obvious appeal for the women’s vote, a ’60s-esque video of Ann Romney cooking on the Rachel Ray coupled with cookie-cutter headlines litter the “Women for Mitt” page. In the video, she shows fans how to make “Mitt’s favorite meatloaf cakes.”

Certain truths speak for themselves.

The women’s vote can make the difference in this election. More women should be aware of the implications Romney’s policies produce when taken seriously and at face value. The right to choose, substantive health care, and equality are all up for grabs: That is the lowest tier, and this nation deserves better than the lowest tier.