With the recent apology given to Georgetown University student Sandra Fluke by Rush Limbaugh, Solid Principles tracks how the Contraception debate emerged into topical news.
January 6, 2012 – During the ABC News GOP Presidential Debate, moderator George Stephanopoulos asks Candidate Romney if States have the right to ban contraceptions, Romney derides the question as silly. video/transcript
January 20, 2012 – Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announces a new mandate that employers include contraceptive coverage in their insurance plan, religious groups cannot deny contraceptive coverage to their employees insurance plan, and also have until August 2013 to comply with the new law. STORY
February 1, 2012 – Catholic Bishops Call for Righteous Defiance Over Obama Mandate
February 7, 2012 – David Axelrod appears on MSNBC to defends administration birth control rule
February 8, 2012 – Republicans accuse Obama as ‘hostile to people of faith’
February 10, 2012 – Obama modifies Contraception Mandate (video) – with exemption for church-affiliated employers to cover birth control, forcing insurances providers to cover costs.
February 14,2012 - ABC News denies Stephanopoulos’ Contraception question was a plant.
February 16, 2012 – During a Congressional Hearing on the religious impact of the contraception mandate (Lines Crossed: Separation of Church and State. Has the Obama Administration Trampled on Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Conscience?”) – Rep. Darrell Issa bars Witness Sandra Fluke, as not an appropriate witness. Issa added “the hearing is meant to be more broadly about religious freedom and not specifically about the contraception mandate in the Health Reform law.” – Democrats had added Fluke to the witness list after the witness deadline, and accused Republicans of not allowing women to be represented among the male clergy witnesses. Fluke later walked out in protest with the Rep. Carolyn Maloney who sat on the committee.
February 16, 2012 – Washington Post issues article critical towards Rep. Issa for not allowing Fluke to speak at the hearing.
February 23, 2012 – Fluke gives her testimony at the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee hearing - see video
March 1, 2012 – Broadcaster Rush Limbaugh begins playing audio from Sandra Fluke’s February 23, 2012 testimony. Limbaugh proclaims: “Well, what would you call someone who wants us to pay for her to have sex? What would you call that woman? You’d call ‘em a slut, a prostitute or whatever.“
March 2, 2012 – Obama later calls Fluke to apologize over Rush remarks
March 3, 2012 – Blaze.com reports that Fluke is not a 23 year old but a 30 year old student according to her Linkedin profile.
March 3 2012- Rush Limbaugh apologizes to Fluke for slut remarks
