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Sandra Fluke
Born	Sandra Kay Fluke (1981-04-17) April 17, 1981 (age 43) Saxton, Pennsylvania U.S.
Alma mater	Cornell University Georgetown University

Sandra Kay Fluke (born April 17, 1981) is a Georgetown Law School graduate and women's rights activist.

In February 2012 she came to attention in the United States when Republicans refused to allow her to testify to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on the importance of requiring insurance plans to cover birth control during a discussion on whether insurance should have a contraception mandate. She later spoke to only House Democratic members. Rush Limbaugh, a talk show host, made inflammatory comments about Fluke's statements on air consisting of speculation and slurs regarding her sex life.

Fluke has supported President Barack Obama's re-election campaign. She was a featured speaker at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

Biography

Fluke is a native of Saxton, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Pennsylvania's Tussey Mountain Junior/Senior High School in 1999. She graduated from Cornell University's Program in Feminist, Gender, & Sexuality Studies in 2003. She co-founded the New York Statewide Coalition for Fair Access to Family Court, which successfully advocated for legislation granting access to civil orders of protection for unmarried victims of domestic violence, including LGBTQ victims and teens. She was also a member of the Manhattan Borough President's Taskforce on Domestic Violence and numerous other New York City and New York State coalitions that successfully advocated for policy improvements impacting victims of domestic violence. She worked in New York City for Sanctuary for Families, which aids victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.

She is the 2011 recipient of the Women Lawyers of Los Angeles' Fran Kandel Public Interest Grant, which supported her production of a video on how to take out a restraining order. She also "represented numerous victims of domestic violence and human trafficking" and also worked to help "child victims of domestic human trafficking" in Kenya. Sandra Fluke graduated cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 2012 and served as president of Georgetown Law Students for Reproductive Justice. While at Georgetown University Law Center, she worked on issues that involved domestic violence and human trafficking.

Speech to Congressional Democrats on contraception mandates

Fluke, then a 30-year-old law student at Georgetown, was invited by Democrats to speak at a hearing by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on the new Administration rules on Conscience Clause exceptions in health care. The exception applies to church organizations themselves, but not to affiliated nonprofit corporations, like hospitals, that do not rely primarily on members of the faith as employees. In addition, another exception was created for religious institutions in which an employee can seek birth control directly from the insurance company instead of the religious based nonprofit. Democrats requested the committee add Sandra Fluke to the first panel, which was composed of clergy and theologians. Committee chairman Darrell Issa (R-California) refused, stating that Fluke lacked expertise, was not member of the clergy, and her name was not submitted in time. Democratic members criticized the decision not to include Fluke since it left that panel with only male members, when the hearing covered contraception coverage.

The next week, the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee convened a meeting to invite Fluke to speak. Fluke put forward reasons that her school, Georgetown, should be compelled to offer contraceptive drugs without co-pay, in spite of the Catholic University's moral opposition to artificial birth control. She said that during the time spent as a law student, birth control could cost $3,000 or more. She also stated that 40% of Georgetown Law School's female population suffered financial hardship as a result of birth control not being covered by the student health insurance plan, and that the lack of contraception coverage in the university insurance plans would induce many low income students to go without contraceptives. She then shared the stories of friends affected by such policies, citing a friend with polycystic ovary syndrome. Fluke said this friend needed contraceptive hormones costing over $100 per month to treat this disease, and that while PcOS was "covered by Georgetown insurance", the insurance company repeatedly denied contraceptives, because they suspected the purpose of the medication was contraception.

Controversial criticism by talk radio host Limbaugh

On February 29, 2012, Rush Limbaugh labeled Sandra Fluke a "slut" and "prostitute", based on her speech before House Democrats. Fluke was appearing in support of mandating health insurers to cover contraceptive costs. Limbaugh said:

" 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 and following his continued branding of Fluke as a "slut" for the next two days, Limbaugh lost several national advertisers. Political figures, including President Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner, voiced disapproval. On March 3 Limbaugh apologized to Fluke for his comments saying his "insulting word choices" were meant to be "humorous", and that he never thought she was a "slut" or a prostitute. Fluke rejected the apology as dubious and inadequate.

Support for President Barack Obama and role in re-election campaign

On June 14, 2012, CNN published an op-ed piece by Fluke titled "Why this election is so personal" in which she gave several reasons why she believed Barack Obama was more likely than Mitt Romney to improve the lot of the American people. Fluke also introduced President Obama at a campaign rally in Denver on August 8, 2012 and was also a featured speaker at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in which she addressed the different visions of the role of women in the election. Her speech attracted considerable criticism, as an example of the Democrats' desire to avoid focus on the economy, and cater to its base, and by congressman Joe Walsh as an example of the entitlement mentality. Several opinion writers have remarked that the continuing criticism of Fluke has served to revisit the Limbaugh controversy and change the topic of debate to reproductive issues.

See also

• Reproductive justice
• Reproductive rights
• Procreative beneficence

References

1. Whitcomb, Dan (March 3, 2012). "Limbaugh apologizes to student for 'insulting' comments". Reuters. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
2. "Limbaugh sorry for 'slut' comment". Irish Times. March 4, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
3. Rovner, Julie (29 February 2012). "Law Student Makes Case For Contraceptive Coverage". NPR. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
4. "Rush Limbaugh loses another sponsor over Sandra Fluke remarks". Chicago Tribune. March 4, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
5. Weinberg, Ali (August 8, 2012). "Obama courts women in Colorado, says Romney would cut health benefits". NBC News. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
6. "Tussey woman at center of Limbaugh storm". The Altoona Mirror. March 6, 2012.
7. ^ "Sandra Fluke". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
8. "Reproductive Health 2012". Association of Reproductive Health Professionals. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
9. "Speakers & Honorees". NOW. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
10. "Why It is Important That Sandra Fluke Sue Limbaugh (and O'Reilly?) for Defamation". The Huffington Post. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
11. Grace Wyler (March 2, 2012). "Meet The Georgetown Law Student Rush Limbaugh Called A 'Slut'". Business Insider. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
12. ^ "Past Public Interest Grant Recipients". Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
13. Sandra Fluke (2011). "Finding Safety: A Victim's Guide to L.A. County Domestic Violence Restraining Orders". Women Lawyers association of Los Angeles. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
14. "Speakers and Honorees". National Organization of Women. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
15. "Sandra Fluke: The fight for Obamacare isn't over yet". Retrieved 29 June 2012.
16. "Current Public Interest Law Scholars". Retrieved 3 March 2012.
17. ^ McCarthy, Meghan (March 4, 2012). "How Contraception Became A Train Wreck For Republicans". National Journal. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
18. "Contraception and Insurance Coverage (Religious Exemption Debate)". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
19. Obama Birth Control Mandate Divides Democrats
20. Shine, Tom (February 16, 2012). "Rep. Darrell Issa Bars Minority Witness, a Woman, on Contraception". ABC News.
21. O’Keefe, Ed (March 28, 2012). "'Where are the women?' dispute settled. Kind of". The Washington Post.
22. "Pelosi aims to draw contrast with GOP on contraception policy". CNN (February 23, 2012). Retrieved March 17, 2012.
23. Fluke, Sandra. Statement to Congress (PDF) (Speech). Washington, D.C. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
24. "Obama backs student Sandra Fluke over 'slut' charge by Rush Limbaugh" March 03, 2012 The Australian
25. Tyler Kingkade, "Steve Landsburg, University Of Rochester Professor, Defends Rush Limbaugh To Students' Outrage" 03/16/2012 The Huffington Post
26. Mirkinson, Jack (February 29, 2012). "Rush Limbaugh: Sandra Fluke, Woman Denied Right To Speak At Contraception Hearing, A 'Slut'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
27. "Limbaugh slut slur student Sandra Fluke gets Obama call". BBC News. March 2, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
28. Schabner, Dean; Negrin, Matt (March 3, 2012). "Rush Limbaugh Apologizes for Calling Sandra Fluke a 'Slut'". ABC News. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
29. Caldwell, Leigh Ann. "Limbaugh apologizes to Sandra Fluke". CBS News. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
30. Farhi, Paul (March 29, 2012). "Limbaugh sees heat over comments turn down to a simmer". The Washington Post.
31. Negrin, Matt (March 5, 2012). "Sandra Fluke Says Rush Limbaugh Apology Doesn't Change Anything". ABC News. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
32. Sandra Fluke (June 14, 2012). "Fluke: Why this election is so personal". CNN. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
33. Robillard, Kevin (August 8, 2012). "Rush Limbaugh: I deserve finder's fee for Sandra Fluke". Politico.
34. Krieg, Gregory. "DNC Set to Feature Sandra Fluke, Pro-Abortion Rights Activists in Charlotte". ABC News. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
35. "Sandra Fluke's Speech At The Democratic National Convention – Full Transcript". presidential-candidates.org. September 5, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
36. Dan Balz; Philip Rucker (September 5, 2012). "Bill Clinton offers forceful defense of Obama's record". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
37. Matt DeLong (September 5, 2012). "Sandra Fluke goes on the attack". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
38. Seema Mehta (September 5, 2012). "Sandra Fluke: GOP positions 'offensive, obsolete relic' of past". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
39. Bassett, Laura (September 5, 2012). "Sandra Fluke: Mitt Romney Didn't Stand Up For Me". Retrieved 6 September 2012.
40. Sandra Fluke’s 15 minutes keeps on going among Democrats. Washington Post September 6 2012
41. Radical agenda took leftist stage. Boston Herald Sept 10 2012
42. Joe Walsh Slams Sandra Fluke On Contraception Issue: 'Go Get A Job'. Huffington Post Sept 8 2012
43. Sandra Fluke: We're Not 'The Entitlement Generation'. Huffington Post September 12 2012
44. David Frum: Slurs only bolster Sandra Fluke's cause CNN September 11 2012
45. Amanda Marcotte: Why Does Sandra Fluke Drive Republicans Crazy? RH Reality Check Sept 9 2012

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• 1981 births
• Living people
• American birth control activists
• American feminists
• Birth control in the United States
• Cornell University alumni
• Georgetown University Law Center alumni
• People from Bedford County, Pennsylvania