Rush and Fluke

Rush Limbaugh said something that he shouldn't have and eventually apologized. Why are people still making a fuss over it? Because they see this as a chance to eliminate Rush. This has been a dream of the left for twenty years. Many liberals want to see the "fairness doctrine" restored to radio. This would require equal time for dissenting opinions and would shut down talk radio. This is known as the "Flush Rush Bill". Since TV favors liberals, there is no corresponding movement to shut down the Daily Show.

What about Sandra Fluke? What was it that she said that set Rush off? You can find a transcript of her testimony here. After reading it, I am tempted to agree with Rush. I take issue with many of her points.

The biggest issue is completely hidden - it is the assumption that contraception always equals birth control pills. There are other contraceptives and many of them do not require a prescription (and presumably would not be covered by any plan). Further, the standard advice to unmarried women with multiple sexual partners is to use condoms to prevent the spread of disease. That makes birth control pills redundant.

Condoms are also an inexpensive method of birth control for married couples. Granted, they have a higher failure rate than the pill but this means that someone who cannot afford the prescription is left completely without contraception.

The most heart-wrenching part is the story of a woman who needed to take birth control pills to prevent cysts. This is a read herring. The woman was unable to convince her insurance that she needed the pill for medical reasons unrelated to contraception. Yes, it would have simplified her life if a prescription for the pill was accepted without question but that is not why she needed it. The woman did develop a large cyst and had to have her ovary removed. This is where the heart-wrenching part comes in:

Since last year's surgery, she's been experiencing night sweats and awaking and other symptoms of early menopause as a result of the removal of her ovary. She's 32 years old. As she put it: If my body indeed does enter early menopause, no fertility specialist in the world will be able to help me have my own children. I will have no choice at giving my mother her desperately desired grandbabies, simply because the insurance policy -- that I paid for, totally unsubsidized by my school -- wouldn't cover my prescription for birth control when I needed it.

This woman was not going to give her mother any grandbabies, regardless. She is 32 so she is past her prime fertility. She is gay. Most important, she had to take birth control pills for a medical condition. How could she have children if she couldn't stop taking the Pill?