Jim Cole / AP Photo
The birth-control controversies of late—health-care contraception coverage, Rush Limbaugh versus Sandra Fluke—are certainly frustrating for women’s groups unhappy that the issue still has to be discussed and fought over. But it’s a blessing in one way: money. The sudden focus on the controversies has prompted a surge in fundraising for pro-choice groups, and many are supporting women as congressional candidates. EMILY’s List, a group dedicated to electing pro-choice Democratic women, has raised nearly twice as much for candidates than it did in the entire 2010 election cycle, according to a spokeswoman. Eleven female Democratic representatives and one senator were ousted from Congress in 2010, and EMILY’s List is hoping to help the chances of 37 women candidates in 2012, including Elizabeth Warren in Masschusetts and Claire McCaskill in Missouri.