President Obama will deliver this year’s commencement address at Barnard College, officials at the college and the White House announced on Saturday.

Word of Mr. Obama’s appearance at Barnard, a 123-year-old women’s college in New York City, comes as the White House and Democrats have seized on Republican attempts to block a requirement for contraception coverage in the new health care law, saying it amounts to a “war on women.”

Democrats believe the issue could be an effective rallying point with women voters in a presidential election year, and the decision to appear at the prestigious women’s school could provide a high-profile forum for the president on that front.

An Obama administration official confirmed on Friday that the White House had called Barnard to offer the president as the commencement speaker.