Across the country, women have heard that Sarah Palin forces rape victims to pay for their rape kits, that Barack Obama supports infanticide, that McCain will do everything in his power to constitutionally ban abortion, and more. Of course, not all of these allegations are true.  But as the election hits the home stretch, ads targeting the candidates' positions on reproductive health are blaring from radios, televisions and computer screens, regardless of their accuracy. The ads are popular in swing states, where issues like choice and the future of Roe could net the dueling presidential candidates some crucial voters.

The following is a round-up of some of the best, and worst, ads voters  are watching and listening to as the election draws near. 

The Final Round 

After the final presidential debate, NARAL seized on John McCain's widely-discussed use of "air-quotes" and a dismissive tone around the notion of a woman's health exception to a late-term abortion ban. NARAL created this starkly compelling ad. 

The Verdict: Okay, so McCain didn't use the air quotes ten times in a row. But even using them once reveals a disturbing lack of sympathy for the health issues facing women in all circumstances, as well as this particular one. 

Another viral video that has been circulating on the Internet in recent days features a young woman, tearily addressing VP Candidate Sarah Palin: "I didn't have a choice about being raped, but I should have a choice about this," she says, referring to Palin's opposition to abortion even in cases of rape or incest. The ad was created by a group called "Women Against McCain Palin." 

The Verdict: It is unclear whether the woman in the ad is a real rape victim or an actress, but the website does feature testimonials from rape victims, as well as a number of sourced articles addressing Sarah Palin's position on abortions for victims of rape and incest. 

Rape Kits 

The news spread quickly last month that under Sarah Palin's mayoral administration, survivors of rape in Wasilla, Alaska, had to pay out of pocket for their own rape kits. The public outcry prompted several ads. 

The Nurses Association of California, an 85-thousand member union, released an ad warning voters about Sarah Palin, set to a chorus of "One Heartbeat," -- reminding viewers that vice-presidential candidates are not presidential candidates' political assistants, but their potential successors. As the tune plays, the ad mentions Palin's rape kit policy as the very first among a group of troubling laws and policies that Palin supported as mayor. The ad ran in Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, and Missouri. 

Verdict: The charges leveled against Palin in this ad tend to be more sensationalistic, and less based on her actual policies as mayor (e.g. she did apparently once ask a librarian about book banning, but never outright banned books). The rape kit policy was, however, part of a budget that Palin explicitly signed off on.  

Planned Parenthood also targeted the rape kit issue in an ad. The ad mentions not only Palin's policies as mayor, but also McCain's similar votes on the issue in the Senate. The Planned Parenthood ad is bookended by an interview with a rape survivor, Gretchen, who says of making victims pay for their kits: "That is something unthinkable, it scares me to death." The intense first person interview takes the focus back to the individual women who are affected. 

Verdict: Despite the emotional tenor of this ad, it comes with a detailed factual citation both within the ad itself and on the website site, including basic list of citations and a detailed PDF line-by-line explanation. You can find more information about the Wasilla rape kit controversy is here. 

On The Radio -- Obama on Roe, Republicans for Choice 

Last month, Obama released a series of radio ads in swing states that featured a clip of John McCain, during an interview on Meet The Press, saying he favored a constitutional amendment banning all abortions. The radio spot is narrated by a nurse, who says that if that happens, "the lives and health of women will be put at risk." The radio ad garnered some attention because it seemed to indicate that the Obama campaign sees choice as a winning issue among undecided voters, rather than the third rail that many media figures portray it as. 

Verdict: While it's unclear whether McCain would aggressively pursue a constitutional abortion ban as president, there is absolutely no question that the new Supreme Court nominations under a McCain presidency would put Roe in serious jeopardy, as he's cited Roberts and Alito as the model for judges he would pick. 

(You can read the transcript here.)

Meanwhile in Colorado, where a ballot initiative declaring a fertilized egg a person is causing serious alarm for women's rights advocates, a group of Republicans, The Republican Majority for Choice, has put out a strong radio ad encouraging voters to vote "No." The spot is a dialogue between a husband and wife. The husband says: "I want the government focused on the major issues facing our state and our country - NOT in the middle of our personal medical choices."  (Transcript here.)

http://www.gopchoice.org/audio/no_on_48_version_2.mp3

Verdict: The ad provides a straightforward explanation for what would happen if a fertilized egg had legal rights: "basic birth control" might be outlawed, and the state would face many costly lawsuits from families and doctors. 

Catholics Split 

The group CatholicsUnited.com has run an ad in crucial swing state markets with Catholic populations. The ad features a Catholic mother sitting at her kitchen table--the most popular place in the house this political season--pointing out that the moniker "pro-life" applies to more than one issue. She says John McCain's record on health care and the war is not consistent with that moniker. 

Verdict: On the site's home page (catholics-united.org) the group cites McCain's votes against SCHIP and his support of the Iraq war as the factual backup for this ad, as well as mentioning studies that show that the legality of abortion has little effect on the abortion rate-while health care and economic issues do affect the abortion rate. 

On the other hand, the group CatholicVote.com has a viral video (not an ad), that sends the exact opposite message. Set to stirring music, writing onscreen reminds voters that "some issues"--over a picture of a fetus--"are more important than others"--backgrounded by a gas pump. The ad focuses on the importance of "life and the family"--and images of anti-choice rallies and gay marriage make it clear what that phrase means.

Verdict: The ad is mostly abstract and makes no factual claims. But the reality is that voting primarily on abortion may not have as wide effect on the abortion rate so much as voting on access to health care, birth control and sexuality education will. 

The Ugly 

As the race gets dirtier, a group of anti-choicers are preparing a radio ad that would bring back the old infanticide rumors against Barack Obama. And this ad, sponsored by the National Right to Life committee gets personal, engaging Obama in a he-said, she-said (or a he-lied, she-lied) spat.

Verdict: The timeline of this issue is thorny and there have been mis-statements on both sides, but Obama's position on the "Born Alive" acts was definitively not extremist, as many on the opposing side allege. Existing law protected infants already; the Senator was acting, as he has said, to protect Roe and physicians from liability. For a detailed investigation of both side's claims, this article by Eric Zorn in the Chicago Tribune is about as thorough as possible. 

A ballot initiative in California that would mandate parental notification for teens seeking abortion plays into parents' worst fears. The ad features a grimy actor playing a "child predator"--a man who serially impregnates teen girls and takes them to get abortions--saying that he likes the law as it is because it keeps his behavior "secret." The ad is low quality, but certainly does have a creepy effect. 

Verdict: It's a deeply misleading ad. The current law is on the books to protect young girls who may be suffering abuse at the hands of the adults from whom they would otherwise be required to gain consent. Opponents of the measure are having their own YouTube contest to oppose this ballot initiative.

Even after the president is elected, damaging rumors and false assertions about crucial reproductive health issues will linger thanks to some of these ads, while the facts will do their best to shine through thanks to the efforts of others.