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Sandra Kay Fluke (born April 17, 1981) is a American feminist and activist enrolled at Georgetown University Law Center who testified before Democratic members of the House of Representatives on why she believed free contraception is generally essential. She came to national attention after Rush Limbaugh made controversial comments about Fluke's testimony (see Rush Limbaugh–Sandra Fluke controversy), including speculation on her sex life, resulting in the loss of several advertising sponsors from his radio program.

She used to work at a nonprofit advocating for victims of domestic violence.

Biography

Before attending Georgetown, she graduated from Cornell University in 2003 and spent five years working for Sanctuary for Families, a New York-based nonprofit aiding victims of domestic violence. While working, she launched the agency's pilot Program Evaluation Initiative. She also 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. Fluke 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. While at Georgetown University Law Center, she also worked on issues that involved domestic violence and human trafficking.

Congressional testimony on contraception mandates

External image
Testifying to House Democrats

On February 16, 2012, Representative Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, held a hearing on infringement of religious liberty by contraceptive mandates, entitled "Lines Crossed: Separation of Church and State. Has the Obama Administration Trampled on Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Conscience?". Fluke was submitted as a witness by Democrat members, but Issa denied her testimony, stating her name was submitted too late. The hearing was widely criticized for having no women witnesses to speak on religious freedom, though the afternoon session on healthcare issues included women opposed to the religious exception as worded. She was later invited to testify on February 23 to House Democratic members, , and submitted written testimony

In her testimony, she argued to deny Georgetown University a conscience waiver to the contraception mandate. She claimed that over the three years as a law student, birth control would cost an estimated $3,000. She continued that the lack of coverage would force many low income women to go without contraception and that women's free health clinics cannot meet the need. She then discussed the consequence of such policies, including a friend with polycystic ovary syndrome being forced to go without birth control pills, resulting in a cyst developing on her ovaries. According to Fluke, her friend was denied coverage, even with a verified condition from her doctor, and this is not a rare event for women with medical conditions. She then stated that she wanted equal treatment for women's health issues and did not see the issue as being against the Catholic Church.

Rush Limbaugh Controversy with Fluke

On February 29, 2012, in rebuttal to Fluke's testimony, conservative pundit Rush Limbaugh berated Fluke on his radio show, resulting in a loss of some advertising support, and an eventual apology from Limbaugh. Limbaugh said that Fluke and women who use contraception want to "be paid for having sex", asking, "what does that make them? Sluts? Prostitutes?" The next day, he insinuated that Fluke and women like her are "having so much sex that they need more birth control pills", a charge that has been vilified by many in the media because only one contraceptive pill per day is required to keep a woman from getting pregnant. Limbaugh also said that Fluke's parents should be ashamed of her. Limbaugh continued to verbally assault Fluke for several days, making inflammatory statements until he apologized, claiming that his intent was to make a point with absurdity and not to offend the woman.

See also

• Reproductive justice
• Reproductive rights
• Women's health

References

1. "Obama calls student as contraception fight turns nasty". Reuters. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
2. "Meet The Georgetown Law Student That Rush Limbaugh Called A 'Slut'" Business Insider. March 2, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
3. "Current Public Interest Law Scholars". Law.georgetown.edu. 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
4. "Law Student Makes Case For Contraceptive Coverage". Retrieved 3 March 2012.
5. "Rush Limbaugh loses another sponsor over Sandra Fluke remarks".
6. "The Faces of 2012". Retrieved 3 March 2012.
7. "Current Public Interest Law Scholars". Retrieved 3 March 2012.
8. "Meet Sandra Fluke: The woman you didn't hear at Congress' contraceptives hearing". Retrieved 3 March 2012.
9. "http://oversight.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1598%3A2-16-12-qlines-crossed-separation-of-church-and-state-has-the-obama-administration-trampled-on-freedom-of-religion-and-freedom-of-conscienceq&catid=12&Itemid=2"
10. "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlRC0nsjtKQ" | Sandra Fluke Opening Statement (C-SPAN) |
11. "Sandra Fluke Receives Call From Obama After Rush Limbaugh 'Slut' Comments" The Huffington Post. March 2, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
12. [http://democrats.oversight.house.gov/images/stories/Testimony_-_Sandra_Fluke.pdf
13. Fluke, Sandra. "Statement to Congress" (PDF). Retrieved 4 March 2012.
14. "MESSAGES TO THE GEORGETOWN COMMUNITY on Civility and Public Discourse". Retrieved 3 March 2012.
15. "Limbaugh slut slur student Sandra Fluke gets Obama call" BBC News. March 3, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
16. "Obama calls Sandra Fluke to offer support over Limbaugh comments".

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• 1981 births
• Living people
• American birth control activists
• American feminists
• American Protestants
• Cornell University alumni