First, let's cover the basics:

• SBA List was created to support and elect anti-choice politicians. The organization's top priorities are to defund Planned Parenthood and other essential family-planning programs, and enact extreme anti-choice legislation to ultimately ban abortion.
• SBA List promotes a radical anti-choice agenda. The group supports forced-ultrasound legislation, efforts to roll back access to birth control, and end abortion.
• The organization's president has been vocal about establishing SBA List as an anti-choice "political machine" comparable to the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Our report exposes SBA List's anti-woman agenda, examines key players, and unpacks its support for extreme anti-choice politicians, including Todd "legitimate rape" Akin and Richard "pregnancy from rape is a gift from God" Mourdock.

You can read the full report about this dangerous organization on our website.

This blog post is the first in an upcoming series that exposes SBA List's radical agenda. Check back for our next post on the SBA List's support for a nationwide 20-week abortion ban.

In one week, three military officers in charge of preventing and addressing sexual assault were arrested on various sexual assault charges, including sexual harassment, stalking, and forced prostitution.

This highlights a startling trend: a recent Pentagon report estimates that 26,000 cases of sexual assault occurred in the military in 2012. These revelations have finally brought national attention to the widespread problem of sexual assault in the military.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called for an immediate re-evaluation of all sexual assault prevention officers and recruits. And President Obama has publicly condemned the epidemic levels of military sexual assault cases:

"Not only is it a crime, not only is it shameful and disgraceful, but it also is going to make and has made the military less effective than it can be. And as such, it is dangerous to our national security."

The national outrage is loud and clear. This story has the attention of our nation's leaders. So we have to ask: What do some of the most outspoken anti-choice politicians have to say?

Top anti-choice politicians Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) have yet to come out and denounce the horrible acts happening to women in the military. Their official government websites and social media pages don't have as much as a statement about how these assaults cripple our country and endanger Americans both in and outside the military.

The silence really says it all. Anti-choice politicians who refuse to take a stand for survivors of sexual assault contribute to the same victim-blaming and shameful silence that keeps women from reporting their sexual assaults in the first place.

This is not a problem to be buried and forgotten. No matter how much anti-choice politicians would prefer to look the other way.

Picture this: Your best friend calls you. She and her boyfriend practiced safe sex last night, but the condom broke. She's freaking out and doesn't know what to do. She isn't on birth control, she can't afford an unplanned pregnancy and isn't ready to become a parent, and she's afraid to tell her parents.

You tell her not to worry because she can get emergency contraception at her local pharmacy. Your friend and her boyfriend go to the pharmacy together and pick up some emergency contraception (EC) or Plan B®. Without the fear of unplanned pregnancy, she can go on with her life.

This is how it should be, right? Accidents happen, even when you're careful. So it makes sense that there should be a backup method available for when things don't go according to plan.

Sadly, that's just not the reality. Women often face shame and judgment when they try to buy Plan B® from the pharmacy, and some pharmacists refuse to sell Plan B® altogether!

Medical professionals agree that emergency contraception should be available to all women, but it's currently only available without a prescription to women over 17.

A federal judge ruled that emergency contraception should be available over-the-counter without age restrictions. But since then, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice have made matters more complicated by prioritizing politics over science.

The struggle for wider availability of emergency contraception is an integral part of choice. EC empowers young women (and men!) to take charge of their reproductive health and allows them to decide when, how, and with whom to start a family.

That's the definition of reproductive freedom.

You would think that any candidate would make sure they're well informed about issues that have been front and center during the election, like a woman's right to choose.

But apparently, Gabriel Gomez doesn't have time for women's reproductive health. He recently admitted that he never even read important choice-related legislation that could significantly impact the people he hopes to represent.

In an interview with The Boston Globe, Gomez was asked about his positions on important reproductive-rights legislation.

When asked about the Blunt amendment, a defeated measure that would have allowed bosses to deny their workers birth-control coverage based on personal beliefs, Gomez was clueless. He stumbled through his response asking, "Oh, is this like the Catholic Church and all?"

Gomez was also asked about the Stupak amendment. His response: "'Is this federal funding for abortion?"

Seriously? Who's doing the interviewing here?

When The Boston Globe explained to Gomez that this failed measure would have made it virtually impossible for private insurance companies in the new system to provide abortion coverage, Gomez clearly did not understand it. He reiterated:

"OK, but I don't think there should be federal funding for abortions."

If Gomez can't even be bothered to read and understand measures that would endanger women's reproductive-health care, what else would he ignore as a Massachusetts senator?

We don't want to find out, and neither should Massachusetts voters. That's why we've given our full support to pro-choice Rep. Ed Markey, who has read and understands these important issues for women and their families.

Maybe Gomez will take the time between now and the June 25 election to read up on measures that help protect women's freedom and privacy.

But we seriously doubt it.

Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

"Reproductive-health restrictions hurt Asian-American women" was written by Zeenat Hasan, a founding member of the Arizona chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum and the director of Health Through Action Arizona. Here's an excerpt from this great piece:

Arizona lawmakers have enacted some of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country, from limiting access to health-care providers to restricting medical education.

The sponsors of Arizona's so-called "prenatal nondiscrimination" law justified it based on a xenophobic stereotype that Asian women prefer sons over daughters and will abort based on the sex of the fetus. The law requires doctors to determine why a woman is seeking an abortion and will potentially single out Asian Pacific-American women for greater scrutiny.

This is the only law of its kind in the country, and as an Asian-American woman, I fear its potential, damaging effects on my community. We already face many health risks. Language barriers, economic pressures and cultural taboos toward sex prevent a significant number of Asian-American and Pacific-Islander women from seeking and receiving quality and timely reproductive health services.

Our community also is less likely to use birth control to prevent unwanted pregnancy, and we experience some of the highest rates of breast and other preventable cancers.

More than two-thirds of Asian Americans in Arizona are foreign born, and Arizona's Senate Bill 1070 and other anti-immigrant laws have created a chilling effect in the community. Our families need health services but are growing fearful of law enforcement as well as health and human-service providers.

This man will pay the price for the horrible acts he committed. All the women whose lives were affected deserve at least this much.

The Gosnell tragedy should serve as a wakeup call that we need to work even harder to ensure that all women have access to safe and legal abortion care. We can't let anti-choice politicians use the Gosnell trial to make it even more difficult for women to access abortion care.

This is why it's so important that pro-choice people know the facts about what this trial means - and does not mean - for women.

1. Kermit Gosnell broke the law and deserves his punishment. He is a criminal who is being rightfully punished.
2. Gosnell does not represent safe, legal abortion in this country. Women should be able to count on abortion providers to provide the compassionate and comprehensive care that they deserve - not what Gosnell inflicted on women.
3. Banning abortion will only force women to put their health and lives at risk to access it. Around the world, women seek abortion at the same rate in countries where it is legal as where it is banned. The difference is that making it legal allows us to make it safe. When abortion is only available in back alleys, women die.

Unfortunately, anti-choice politicians have passed restriction after restriction to make it more difficult for women to get an abortion.

Check out our graphic and share it with your friends to let them know what's at risk for women's reproductive-health and safety:

"I'm sympathetic to the idea that we all want our kids to come talk to us if they get into trouble. Unfortunately, that's not the job of the administration right now. The real question is whether we're going to have the science-based policy that we were promised by this administration. What we know and what's got this judge so up in arms is that Plan B and other 'morning-after' pills are safe. They've been tested extensively. They're safe for all women."

It's reprehensible that this officer could have perpetuated the very same act that he's supposed to be working to end.

How we treat our service members reflects on us as a society. That's why we're working hard to make sure that our service members have the same rights as citizens here at home.

We celebrated a victory last year when Congress enacted the Shaheen amendment, which lifted the ban on sexual-assault survivors using their health insurance to pay for abortion services.

We've also been working with amazing pro-choice champions in Congress like Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who introduced the Military Access to Reproductive Care and Health for Military Women (MARCH) Act which would repeal the ban on women in the military using their own money for abortion care overseas.

It's unacceptable that military women who sacrifice so much for our country are blocked from making the most personal of reproductive-health decisions.

We're optimistic that more political leaders will make ending sexual assault and ensuring service women's reproductive rights a priority. Because even one sexual assault is too many.

Rep. Franks wants to make it even harder for low-income women to access abortion care in the most heartbreaking of circumstances. Restricting access for abortion doesn't actually change a woman's decision to end her pregnancy. The restrictions do, however, make it more likely that she'll consider taking desperate measures, or be forced to seek out unsafe providers like Kermit Gosnell.

Let's get this straight - Rep. Franks is trying to impose his anti-choice agenda on women in D.C. who did not elect him as their representative. But that doesn't matter, since Rep. Franks apparently thinks he's the one anti-choice politician to rule them all...

"King" Franks has tried this before, and we defeated that bill in 2012. His abortion ban would truly endanger the health and future of low-income women in D.C. by limiting their reproductive options.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how dangerous this proposed abortion ban would be for women and their families. And it completely contradicts efforts to protect women's health.

To make matters worse, anti-choice Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R) jumped on the intrusive bandwagon and recently introduced his own Senate version of the 20-week abortion ban in D.C.

Last year, the District's only representation in Congress, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, was denied the right to testify in opposition to the bill.

It's going to take all of us speaking out to make sure Congress hears our opposition to these overreaching bans on abortion. Please help us protect women in D.C. and voice your pro-choice values to your lawmaker.

When she spoke at a forum on human trafficking, Smart shared that she "felt so dirty and so filthy" after being raped by her kidnapper. She attributes feeling worthless to growing up with "abstinence-only" programs:

"I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, I'm that chewed up piece of gum, nobody re-chews a piece of gum, you throw it away.' And that's how easy it is to feel like you no longer have worth, you no longer have value. Why would it even be worth screaming out? Why would it even make a difference if you are rescued? Your life still has no value."

Dangerous "abstinence-only" programs withhold information about reproductive health and often tell students that birth control, including condoms, is ineffective for preventing pregnancy or protecting against STDs. Even worse, these programs use shame to dissuade teens from having sex, and often use comparisons like the "chewed gum" metaphor to make them feel bad for becoming sexually active.

Clearly, shaming teens has consequences. That's why Elizabeth is speaking out through her foundation to send the message that "you will always have value and nothing can change that."

Even now, anti-choice politicians across the country are fighting to defund and block comprehensive sex-education programs that help teens protect themselves from unintended pregnancy and disease and give them the confidence to make the decisions that are right for them.

We're grateful for Smart's courage to speak openly about such a personal chapter in her life. And we hope that her message will not be lost on deaf anti-choice ears in Congress and in state legislatures across the country.

Check out our graphic and share it with your friends on Facebook:

What the anti-choice movement doesn't want you to know is that low-income women can be driven to seek medical care from individuals like Gosnell because of unfair restrictions to abortion access.

Even today, rather than work to expand women's access and prevent women from turning to back-alley abortion providers, anti-choice politicians are pushing to make it harder for women to get abortion care.

In Iowa, the state House of Representatives passed legislation that would withhold Medicaid funding for abortion providers. Here's the scariest part: Medicaid funding in Iowa only covers abortion for survivors of rape or incest, and when the woman's life is in danger.

These anti-choice politicians are heartless for wanting to cut funding for abortion care when a woman's life depends on it.

That doesn't sound very "pro-life," does it?

If they get their way, anti-choice politicians will succeed at blocking low-income women from even getting birth control and cancer screenings.

We've seen what happens when ideology trumps women's health. Before Roe v. Wade, women still sought out abortion, but they often ended up in the hands of predators like Kermit Gosnell.

If anti-choice politicians succeed in promoting their agenda - blocking access to abortion care to women who have been raped, or cutting vital health programs that prevent pregnancy - then surely these zealots must bear some responsibility for the horrors from unsafe providers like Kermit Gosnell.

Pennsylvania State Rep. Brian Sims

When his anti-choice colleagues tried to ban women from using their own private money to pay for insurance that covers abortion, Rep. Sims expressed his dissatisfaction, saying:

"Each of us put our hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. We did not place our hands on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

Can we get an "Amen!"

Pennsylvania has some of the most restrictive anti-choice laws on the books, and received an "F" grade in our 2012 edition of Who Decides?. That's why we're so grateful for pro-choice champs like Rep. Sims for calling out anti-choice politicians.

Florida State Rep. Charles Van Zant

Rep. Van Zant earned a spot in April's Hall of Shame by being so offensive while offering closing statements on anti-choice race - and sex - selection abortion ban legislation he sponsored, that his remarks prompted at least five female African-American lawmakers to walk out of the room.

There are many pro-choice champions and anti-choice challengers who could easily be ushered into our Hall of Fame and Shame.

Check out our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates and stories on pro-choice heroes and anti-choice baddies.

Who caught your eye this month?

"We are already seeing a number of court cases, including ones that Americans United for Life, I think, support, that go far beyond Roe, far beyond women's ability to decide about abortion with their doctors.

[Anti-choice groups] are supporting rollbacks of contraception. They actually have model legislation on their website that would limit IVF, as we have seen in the "personhood" amendment. This is a radical agenda and this is the antithesis of common sense. Americans believe that women and their families and their doctors can make these personal decisions, not meddling politicians."

We've got some good news!

A new bill in California will break down some of the barriers that women face in accessing abortion care. By allowing trained nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician's assistants to provide first-trimester abortion care, the Abortion Access Bill will allow more women in California to get the care they need from local providers they know and trust.

But even in a pro-choice state like California, there are anti-choice opponents working to defeat this important bill.

In a recent committee hearing, Assemblymember Donald Wagner (R-Irvine) shocked us with some of his assumptions about women's access to abortion care:

"I would think we'd have here, in support of the bill, a whole lot of women with their kids in tow, like we had in opposition to the bill, saying, 'You know, I couldn't get access, so look what happened.'"

Really?

Apparently, Assemblymember Wagner needs women to parade their children as evidence that women need access to abortion. Wagner doesn't seem to understand what reality looks like for many working women and families in this state.

Good thing Assemblymember Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) was there to set him straight.

Watch the exchange for yourself:

California women are fortunate that pro-choice champions in the legislature - like Assemblymember Mitchell and Assemblymember Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), the bill's sponsor - are pushing this important bill forward.

NARAL Pro-Choice California is proud to be working on proactive, pro-choice legislation that aims to serve all women - rural or urban, rich or poor - because all women deserve access to comprehensive reproductive-health care.

To learn more about the Abortion Access Bill (AB 154) and to take action to support it, visit www.ProChoiceCalifornia.org.

"As a new president of a pro-choice organization, I want more media scrutiny on this case. Because that's the only way we're going to turn these anti-choice extremists' crocodile tears into policies that actually protect women by not throwing up obstacles for them getting safe, legal abortion care."