Nancy Keenan decries Republican 'war on women'

On the the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, NARAL Pro-Choice America President Nancy Keenan declared that 2011 was the year of the "War on Women."

"In the more than 30 years I've spent defending a woman's right to choose, I can't recall a time when politicians have been more out of touch with our nation's values and priorities," Keenan wrote in at op-ed at The Huffington Post.

Legislation aimed at restricting or eliminating women's access to abortion abounded in 2011, thanks in part to the 2010 elections where Republicans took control of the U.S. House of Representatives along with a number of state legislatures.

States enacted more than twice as many anti-choice measures in 2011 as the previous year, according to NARAL. Twenty-six states enacted 69 measures to restrict abortion in 2011, the second-highest number since the organization started tracking such data in 1995.

"And we're not out of the woods yet," Keenan continued. "The very same politicians behind the War on Women are ready to resume the legislative attacks in 2012 here in Washington, D.C. and in state legislatures throughout the country."

Keenan said her organization would fight to elect pro-choice candidates for the House and Senate in 2012.

The group also plans to throw its support behind President Barack Obama, who has stood by a policy that requires virtually all private insurance policies to cover family planning, including female contraceptives.

The Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney, on the other hand, has said he wants to overturn Roe v. Wade and eliminate Title X programs, which are used for family planning services such as contraceptives, reproductive health counseling and cancer screenings, mostly for low-income families.

"We'll work day-in and day-out to make sure these key women voters -- and all voters -- know that Gov. Romney is far outside the American mainstream when it comes to choice," Keenan said.