The next week, Fluke appeared at the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and was given a chance to read a prepared statement. She was in favor of a private mandate for contraception coverage. She continued to say that a female law student could spend $3,000 or more on birth control. Fluke told the committee that forty percent of Georgetown Law School’s female population endured financial hardship because birth control was not being covered by the student health insurance plan. Furthermore, Fluke stated, the lack of free contraception coverage in the university insurance plans would cause low income students to go without contraceptives.
On February 29, 2012, right wing political commentator; Rush Limbaugh called Fluke a “slut” and “prostitute” because of her congressional testimony. Limbaugh made matters worse when he said, "Fluke essentially says that she must be paid to have sex -- what does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex. She's having so much sex she can't afford the contraception. She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex."
During the next two days, Limbaugh continued to insult Fluke by labeling her as a slut. Although the political commentator eventually apologized to Fluke for his comments, the Georgetown University Law Center graduate dismissed the apology, stating it was inadequate. The media scrutiny and harsh criticism of the young attorney must have put Fluke in a tight spot, but the 31-year-old stood her ground and voiced her opinion on an issue that has been very sensitive during a national election.
Indeed, the subject has been so personal that on August 8, 2012, six months after Limbaugh slammed Fluke for her congressional statement, the newly minted attorney wrote in a Huffington Post blog post, “This choice is personal for all of us because it will impact each of our lives. But for me, it’s intensely personal. Earlier this year, I was publicly attacked by Rush Limbaugh and others for testifying before members of Congress. I had shared stories of my friends and other young women, stories no different from those I’ve heard from women who also worry about having the health care they need.”
Fluke believes President Barack Obama’s health care bill will provide woman with the same health insurance protection as men. According to The Daily Caller, Fluke wrote “When Obamacare takes full effect, we’ll never again be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition like being a survivor of domestic violence or breast cancer, or having had a Caesarean section. Nor will we ever again be charged more than men for the same insurance just because we’re women.”
The women's rights activist criticized Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for failing to condemn Limbaugh for insulting her for her congressional testimony. “When Rush Limbaugh called me a ‘slut’ and a ‘prostitute’ for speaking about medical needs for contraception, Mr. Romney could only say that it ‘wasn’t the language he would have used.” Political figures, including President Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner publicly disapproved of Limbaugh’s inflammatory comments about Fluke's testimony. Fluke added, “If Mr. Romney can’t stand up to the extreme voices in his own party, we know he’ll never stand up for women and protect the rights that generations of women fought so hard to ensure.”
According to a Vanity Fair article, “Actually I’m the Slut: Rush Limbaugh Re-apologizes to Sandra Fluke, and to Us All,” the radio host said:
“On this show last week, you heard me talk about Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke. In the contentious debate over reproductive rights, I may have gone too far: I called her a slut, a prostitute, a whore. And, in the privacy of my own offices, I may have insinuated that I didn’t like her haircut, and that I found her outfit to be more than a little unbecoming. She was appearing in front of Congress, and certainly could have at least Callista Gingrich-ed it up a little—lacquered her hair, sparkled on some lips, worn a tasteful necklace, but nothing too expensive. After all, she is in law school, and has to defray the costs of all that progestero—err, tuition.”Perhaps Limbaugh was trying to lure the fleeing advertisers from his show, but to this day, Fluke continues to receive criticism from notable public figures for her support of Obama’s health care law and Planned Parenthood. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus; recently dismissed Fluke’s appearance on President Obama’s campaign trail in Denver, Colorado. Priebus told reporters, “If that is what Obama wants to do that’s fine, but at the end of the day, this is going to come down to the economy and women are worse off under this president after four years than when President Obama took office.”
Krista Kafer, who is an executive director of Colorado’s Future Project, a research organization supported by the conservative Independent Women’s Forum, characterized Fluke’s appearance on President Obama’s campaign trail as a distraction from the economy. But her harsh words towards Fluke were far more scathing than Priebus. Kafer said, “Bringing Sandra Fluke to Colorado is a sideshow. Ultimately it’s a distraction to the real issues our country faces: a national debt nearing $16 trillion, an unemployment rate that remains above 8% and a stagnant economy. The trillion dollar deficits, bail-outs and failed stimulus plans have failed to improve the economy, home values and job prospects for women.”
Whether you support Fluke or are against her, she definitely showed backbone by reading her statement for U.S. congressional testimony. Any other law student would most likely have declined the Democrats invitation to appear at the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. Fluke received a huge amount of backlash for voicing her opinion in favor of a private mandate for contraception coverage and for her support of Obama’s health care law and Planned Parenthood. Some might say Obama is just using Fluke to push his political agenda on “Obamacare.” But what does calling Fluke a “slut,” “prostitute,” or “sideshow” really accomplish? Aren’t you just tearing down and insulting a woman who is standing up for what she believes is right? Fluke hasn’t disappeared from the media spotlight since her congressional testimony and it is likely the media will cover her after the national election. A lot of people might see her as a distraction, but many women see her as an inspiration for women’s rights.
