During the 2012 campaign, Democrats and their media allies relentlessly pushed the idea that the Republican Party was waging a war on women.

Margaret Fortney of The Princeton Tory is a Republican woman and she’s having none of it.

Republican Women: Not a Paradox

Republican women are in a tight spot. For the past two years, the liberal establishment has been telling Americans that we are fighting a civil war: The Republican War Against Women. Once a hyperbolic commentary on women’s issues, the war is now taken for granted. This war largely comprises the issues of abortion, contraception, and women’s career opportunities. As a woman who cares about her own body and career as well as the bodies and careers of other women, I am concerned. But not about a Republican War Against Women. I am concerned that this distorted dialogue obscures arguments and elicits emotional responses rather than encourages productive discussions. The real war is not between Republicans and women, but between two different ideas of feminism.

Is there a War?

The term “war” is a complete misnomer in describing the Republican stance on abortion, contraception, and women’s rights in the workplace. First of all, “Republican” and “woman” are not mutually exclusive labels (I offer myself as evidence). Democrats interpreted Obama’s lead among women as verification of their hypothetical war’s existence. According to CNN exit polls in the 2012 election, 55% of women voted for Obama, and 44% voted for Romney. Either 44% of women are waging war against themselves, or else there are two viable conceptions of womanhood. A closer look at demographic votes further complicates the picture. Fewer women voted for Obama in 2012 than did in 2008. If a war on women had been raging for the past two years, would we not expect the opposite shift?

There’s much more at the link below.