Fueled by large conservative margins in statehouses after the 2010 elections, Republican legislators went on an unprecedented and relentless bill writing spree to: limit women's access to the healthcare; restrict a woman's right to make personal, private decisions about what's best for her own health; and even ban contraception through "personhood" amendments. Not to be left behind, conservatives in Congress briefly tried to redefine the meaning of rape and zoned in on Planned Parenthood as right-wing enemy Number One by voting to defund the clinics that 5 million women depend on for vital health services each year.
Though Republicans continue to try to lay blame on Democrats and the media, the coordinated attack—aimed at the most important voting block—was sealed in the hearts and minds of women voters through a series of back-to-back prominent missteps. This "storm" was perfected by Susan G. Komen's misguided decision to listen to a former Republican gubernatorial candidate and sever its relationship with Planned Parenthood, the state of Virginia's attempt to force transvaginal ultrasounds on women seeking abortions, Rush Limbaugh's cowardly, misogynistic attack on Sandra Fluke, and former Gov. Mitt Romney's hypocritical attempt to lure conservative primary voters that led him to declare he would "get rid of Planned Parenthood." Add it all up, and you get a meme that is bolstered by numerous facts—a shockingly real and legit war on women's health.
And just when many women probably thought it couldn't get any worse, last week, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker—a visible Romney surrogate—joined the battle by repealing his state's equal pay statue. Recent polls illustrate how much damage has been done to the Republican Party brand, with President Obama now leading Governor Romney among women voters in swing states by 18 points.