The GOP is at it again.  After their wins in the 2010 midterm elections, John Boehner and the Tea Party took over the U.S. House on a pledge to repair the economy and jumpstart job growth. But instead of keeping their word, they seized every opportunity to attack the rights and freedoms of America’s women and families.

These shameful attacks have resulted in an outright War on Women.  From attempting to squeeze funding for vital health care services, to limiting educational opportunities for women and their families, the Republican Party has become a bastion for right wing extremists who seek to deny women the freedoms and opportunities that are their right.

Since the midterm elections, Republicans in Congress led by John Boehner, have worked tirelessly to restrict women's freedom of choice by limiting the services that clinics can provide and that insurance companies can pay for.  Republicans have used budget cuts as an excuse to defund providers of women's health care, limiting access to cancer screenings to the women who need them most.  The GOP is also attempting to repeal health insurance reform, returning to the time when being female was a “pre-existing condition.”

At a time of such high unemployment and economic uncertainty, Republicans have made it clear they are more concerned with implementing their radical social agenda – and not focusing on the jobs they campaigned on.  Americans need help now, but Republicans are already looking forward to the 2012 elections.  Extremists – including Karl Rove – have been working overtime prepping for 2012 with a host of secret donors and a library of sleazy attacks. The Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling has empowered corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money attacking Democrats, and the GOP is taking full advantage.

EMILY's List supports pro-choice Democratic women who have stood on the front lines of this fight.  Our victories have stopped the GOP's momentum in their War on Women.  Since 2010 we’ve already had two major victories in special elections with Kathy Hochul in New York and Janice Hahn in California.  We’re on the path to taking back the House for Democrats by electing women like Tammy Duckworth (IL-08), Christie Vilsack and Ann McLane Kuster – candidates who are true advocates for women and families. But it doesn’t stop there – we saw just how important our women in the Senate were in stopping anti-woman and anti-family policies, and we have to protect that majority by helping reelect women like Debbie Stabenow and Claire McCaskill and taking advantage of opportunities to elect new women like Mazie Hirono in HI and Shelley Berkley in NV.

Supporting pro-choice Democratic women is the only way to end the War on Women.  EMILY's List candidates will help to defeat the regressive, anti-women policies of the far right.  We have the power to end the War on Women by fighting back against John Boehner, Karl Rove, Michele Bachmann, and the Tea Party.  We fought back to expose the radical Republican agenda and we have the chance to put a stop to it once and for all in 2012.  There's a lot of work to do to defeat the GOP and end the War on Women – and we can't put it off.

There is true strength in numbers- more women in elected office, and more women using their voices online to fight back. We’re glad to be with you.

Sarah is the New Media Manager at EMILY's List and also works as the managing editor to FutureMajority.com and a writer at CrooksAndLiars.com.  She fought to get pro-choice democratic women elected for the last 8 years in 5 states.

This post is part of the #HERvotes blog carnival.