The Republican Party’s ongoing war against women’s health appears to be dragging down its presumptive presidential nominee.

According to a new Economist/YouGov poll, President Barack Obama is leading Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney among women by a 55 to 38 percent margin.

President Obama’s whopping 17 point lead among women is the driving force behind his overall 47 to 41 percent lead in the poll. Women have a far more favorable view of the president than of Romney; President Obama’s favorable/unfavorable rating among women is a strong 50 percent to 42 percent, while Romney’s is a weak 36 percent to 46 percent. Romney is still doing better among women than his two primary rivals for the nomination, however. 50 percent of women view Rick Santorum unfavorably, and 60 percent of women have an unfavorable opinion of Newt Gingrich.

The poll suggests that Republicans are facing a serious gender gap. Unless Romney can shake his Etch A Sketch and make women forget his failure to denounce Rush Limbaugh and his promise to eliminate Planned Parenthood, he will have a very difficult time prevailing in the 2012 election.

The full results of the Economist/YouGov poll can be found here.