“Why extremists always focus on women remains a mystery to me,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a crowd at the Women in the World Summit at Lincoln Center a week ago Saturday. “But they all seem to. It doesn’t matter what country they’re in or what religion they claim. They want to control women. They want to control how we dress. They want to control how we act. They even want to control the decisions we make about our own health and bodies.

“Yes, it is hard to believe that even here at home, we have to stand up for women’s rights and reject efforts to marginalize any one of us, because America needs to set an example for the entire world.”

In response to a question about funding for Planned Parenthood, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said, “we’re going to get rid of that.”

With barely a whimper from Texas women, Rick Perry, as promised a couple of weeks ago, effectively shut down a Medicaid program that serves 130,000 Texas women, in the name of preventing Planned Parenthood from getting money for abortion.

Not to be outdone by Texas, Republicans in Arizona, are considering a new law that would give employers the power to request that women being prescribed birth control pills provide proof that they're using it for non-sexual reasons! That’s right — an Arizona boss may be granted the right to know what you’re doing in your bedroom. And, since Arizona is an at-will employment state, if the employer has the same philosophy about women’s birth control as say Rush Limbaugh, he can fire you!

I’m referring to Republican Debbie Lesko's HB2625 which would allow an employer to request proof that a woman using insurance to buy birth control for reasons other than not wanting to get pregnant. It’s bad enough that women vote these extremists into office, but women actually writing legislation to curb their own rights? Now, that’s truly amazing!

Republicans, driven by what I like to call the tealiban, are more committed than ever to an extreme agenda that shreds any social safety net. American women need to take care of themselves and their children. And, if you think this is merely a phase that will pass, there were probably plenty of Germans who believed the same thing about the Nazis.

The campaign to Stop the War on Women needs your voice. Tell the Republicans NO:

-- NO to taking away the rights and freedoms of American women.

-- NO to threatening the health of millions of women and their families.

-- NO to sneak attacks on women's right to choose.

Get involved before it’s too late! Speak with your vote!