President Obama on Friday called Sandra Fluke, the third-year Georgetown University law student who this week was at the receiving end of what some have called hate speech by conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh over her testimony last week at a hearing on contraception.
Sandra Fluke, a third-year law student at Georgetown University and former president of the Students for Reproductive Justice group there, testifies during a hearing before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)In an interview with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Friday afternoon, Fluke discussed the call from Obama, which took place shortly before she appeared on the program.
“He encouraged me and supported me and thanked me for speaking out about the concerns of American women,” Fluke told Mitchell of the call with Obama. “And what was really personal for me was that he said to tell my parents that they should be proud. And that meant a lot because Rush Limbaugh questioned whether or not my family would be proud of me. So, I just appreciated that very much.”
The call by Obama is a rare one and a move that signals the White House, like Democrats more broadly, is intent on keeping the spotlight on the contraception issue.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said, “The president called Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke because he wanted to offer his support, express his disappointment, that she was the subject of an inappropriate personal attack and thank her for exercising her rights as a citizen to speak out on public policy.”
Carney said they spoke “for several minutes. It was a good conversation. Like a lot of people said the personal attacks directed her way are inappropriate. The fact that political discourse has become debased in many ways is bad enough. It’s worse when directed at a private citizen simply expressing her views on a matter of public policy.”
Asked what Obama thought about Limbaugh’s comments, Carney said, “They were reprehensible. They were disappointing. It is reprehensible that those kinds of personal and crude attacks could be leveled at someone like this young law school student who was simply expressing her opinion on a matter of public policy and doing it with a great deal of poise.”
Democrats had originally tapped Fluke to testify at a House hearing earlier this month on the Obama administration’s decision regarding religious-affiliated employers and contraception coverage.
But Republicans had said at the time that Fluke’s name had been submitted too late to appear at the hearing; they also argued that the hearing was about religious freedom more broadly and that Fluke could not testify because she was not a member of the clergy.
This week, Fluke delivered testimony before a House Democratic-convened panel on Capitol Hill on the cost to female students of birth control that is not covered by health plans provided by some religious-affiliated institutions.
Then, on his radio show, Limbaugh took aim at Fluke, who he called a “feminazi” and a “slut.”
“If we are going to pay for your contraceptives, and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something for it,” Limbaugh had said. “We want you post the videos online so we can all watch.”
The comments by Limbaugh led to a media firestorm. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has called Limbaugh’s remarks “inappropriate,” and Georgetown University President John DeGioia issued a statement on Friday defending Fluke.
“The values that hold us together as a people require nothing less than eternal vigilance,” DeGioia said in the statement. “This is our moment to stand for the values of civility in our engagement with one another.”
In her interview with MSNBC’s Mitchell Friday afternoon, Fluke cited DeGioia’s comments as “an example of what kind of model we should look to in our national discourse, because clearly the president of the university and I disagree about the issues, but we’re both able to handle this in a civil manner.”
“There’s been some highs and some lows,” Fluke said of her past several weeks in the media spotlight. “Yes. So, it’s been quite a journey. And I’m just happy that what seems to be happening in the process is that America is hearing the voices of women affected by lack of contraception coverage and who will benefit from this policy. And that’s what’s really most important to me; that’s why I’ve been working on this for years, honestly.”
Asked by Mitchell how her parents responded to the controversy and Limbaugh’s comments, Fluke said that they were “certainly hurt” but also “very proud of me.”
“They’re actually of a different political persuasion than I am, so I think that is emblematic of the fact that broadly Americans agree that women need access to basic health care that’s important to prevent medical disasters and to prevent pregnancy. ... I would certainly say it’s been a learning experience. I recommend hands-on experience for law students. Not all of this experience I would recommend,” she said.
Staff writer David Nakamura also contributed to this story.
Sandra Fluke, a third-year law student at Georgetown University and former president of the Students for Reproductive Justice group there, testifies during a hearing before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)In an interview with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Friday afternoon, Fluke discussed the call from Obama, which took place shortly before she appeared on the program.
“He encouraged me and supported me and thanked me for speaking out about the concerns of American women,” Fluke told Mitchell of the call with Obama. “And what was really personal for me was that he said to tell my parents that they should be proud. And that meant a lot because Rush Limbaugh questioned whether or not my family would be proud of me. So, I just appreciated that very much.”
The call by Obama is a rare one and a move that signals the White House, like Democrats more broadly, is intent on keeping the spotlight on the contraception issue.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said, “The president called Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke because he wanted to offer his support, express his disappointment, that she was the subject of an inappropriate personal attack and thank her for exercising her rights as a citizen to speak out on public policy.”
Carney said they spoke “for several minutes. It was a good conversation. Like a lot of people said the personal attacks directed her way are inappropriate. The fact that political discourse has become debased in many ways is bad enough. It’s worse when directed at a private citizen simply expressing her views on a matter of public policy.”
Asked what Obama thought about Limbaugh’s comments, Carney said, “They were reprehensible. They were disappointing. It is reprehensible that those kinds of personal and crude attacks could be leveled at someone like this young law school student who was simply expressing her opinion on a matter of public policy and doing it with a great deal of poise.”
Democrats had originally tapped Fluke to testify at a House hearing earlier this month on the Obama administration’s decision regarding religious-affiliated employers and contraception coverage.
But Republicans had said at the time that Fluke’s name had been submitted too late to appear at the hearing; they also argued that the hearing was about religious freedom more broadly and that Fluke could not testify because she was not a member of the clergy.
This week, Fluke delivered testimony before a House Democratic-convened panel on Capitol Hill on the cost to female students of birth control that is not covered by health plans provided by some religious-affiliated institutions.
Then, on his radio show, Limbaugh took aim at Fluke, who he called a “feminazi” and a “slut.”
“If we are going to pay for your contraceptives, and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something for it,” Limbaugh had said. “We want you post the videos online so we can all watch.”
The comments by Limbaugh led to a media firestorm. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has called Limbaugh’s remarks “inappropriate,” and Georgetown University President John DeGioia issued a statement on Friday defending Fluke.
“The values that hold us together as a people require nothing less than eternal vigilance,” DeGioia said in the statement. “This is our moment to stand for the values of civility in our engagement with one another.”
In her interview with MSNBC’s Mitchell Friday afternoon, Fluke cited DeGioia’s comments as “an example of what kind of model we should look to in our national discourse, because clearly the president of the university and I disagree about the issues, but we’re both able to handle this in a civil manner.”
“There’s been some highs and some lows,” Fluke said of her past several weeks in the media spotlight. “Yes. So, it’s been quite a journey. And I’m just happy that what seems to be happening in the process is that America is hearing the voices of women affected by lack of contraception coverage and who will benefit from this policy. And that’s what’s really most important to me; that’s why I’ve been working on this for years, honestly.”
Asked by Mitchell how her parents responded to the controversy and Limbaugh’s comments, Fluke said that they were “certainly hurt” but also “very proud of me.”
“They’re actually of a different political persuasion than I am, so I think that is emblematic of the fact that broadly Americans agree that women need access to basic health care that’s important to prevent medical disasters and to prevent pregnancy. ... I would certainly say it’s been a learning experience. I recommend hands-on experience for law students. Not all of this experience I would recommend,” she said.
Staff writer David Nakamura also contributed to this story.
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01:45 PM ET, 03/02/2012
Tags: Sandra Fluke, Rush Limbaugh, Contraception, Birth Control, Health Care, President Obama
Tags: Sandra Fluke, Rush Limbaugh, Contraception, Birth Control, Health Care, President Obama
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