What about the war on women?

John Boehner said that the war on women is “entirely created by my colleagues across the aisle for political gain.” I don’t subscribe to the harsh “war on women” language Democrats use, and I don’t believe Republicans hate women. But it is clear that Republicans misunderstand women’s health and the policies that affect them, which is reflected in the contributions they make to American politics.

The so-called “war on women” isn’t manufactured; it’s just one example of how rights we have long considered secure can be taken away.

Earlier this year President Barack Obama threatened to veto a bill proposed by Republicans that would lower interest rates on student loans. On one side of the aisle, Republicans, having signed a non-tax pledge, wanted to pay for it by cutting funding for preventive health services that help mostly women. On the other, Democrats proposed a tax hike on citizens earning $250k a year or more. To me, it’s a no-brainer: It makes more sense to ask the super-rich to give up one weekend in Europe than ask impoverished women to give up potentially life-saving cancer screenings.

To get a better understanding of which politicians women voters support, I decided to poll my Facebook friends, “With all this ‘war on women’ speak, if you are a woman, who are you voting for and why?” The overwhelming response was from Republican friends voicing thoughts on Roe v. Wade. They seemed split between their party loyalty and concern for their rights as women.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has asserted time and time again that he will appoint justices to overturn Roe v. Wade. I don’t think he’ll do it—Romney is more moderate than he likes to admit, and doing so would free single-issue voters to pledge their vote to another party—but the idea that poor women and rape victims would be forced to carry out unwanted pregnancies while privileged women could simply travel outside of the country to get abortions just doesn’t seem right somehow.

With the politics of the vote, it seems that Roe v. Wade will indeed stay intact. So until next election, conservative women can stop punching themselves in the face.