In the war on women's reproductive rights, the newest strategy is slut shaming women who advocate for access to contraception. Included in this vilification of those who dare oppose the Catholic Church's and the GOP's position is Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown University law student who was denied the opportunity to testify before GOP Congressman Darrell Issa's congressional panel on the HHS contraceptive mandate. Issa's initial all anti-choice male panel created controversy that was fueled by his rejection of Fluke on the grounds that the issue is about "freedom of religion" and not about contraception which really is the crux of the issue. Fluke eventually testified before a group of Democrats. Alleged Fox "news" anchor, Megyn Kelly, reported on Fluke's testimony. But rather than provide "fair & balanced" coverage, including mention of Fluke's testimony regarding a fellow Georgetown student who lost an ovary because of the school's health care policy, Kelly mocked her commentary on the expense of contraception. It was also suggested that Fluke, a proponent of reproductive rights, was agenda driven. Worst of all, she and Trace Gallagher had a good chuckle about unnamed critics of Fluke who suggest, as does the multi-married and still childless *Rush Limbaugh, that Ms. Fluke and her fellow female Georgetown students are a bunch of sex crazed sluts. 

On Monday, Kelly was at her snarkiest best. She grinned as she reported on the lack of media coverage for Sandra Fluke's testimony before a group of Democrats. Kelly noted, in a mocking tone, that Fluke said "without coverage for contraception, she and her classmates are going broke." She could barely contain her glee as she tossed to Trace Gallagher framed the slut shaming Fox "News" message with his "joke" about how he "thought he was going to law school; but I thought all you did was study...guess I was wrong." Kelly "joked" how in law school, "this was all we worried about, getting contraceptives." Gallagher noted that she is a "reproductive rights activist." (And the Catholic bishop, on Issa's panel, isn't an anti-choice activist?) He mentioned that she had not been allowed to speak before the GOP panel. He played video of her commentary about the expense of contraception for Georgetown students. Trace noted that Catholics and other religions "say the President's mandate is wrong."  

He then got back into slut shaming mode: "Critics, Of Course, used her statement to kinda do the math saying $3,000 over three years of law school for birth control is a lot of birth control and they mention that condoms are about a buck apiece and that equals about a thousand condoms and other birth control, Megyn, so the question is they wonder exactly what's going on at Georgetown Law School. When do they study, was the response?" Kelly smiled as she said "I'm not saying another word, I'm leaving it to Jimmy Fallon." Her grin got even bigger as she thanked Gallagher.

Somehow I don't think Jimmy Fallon is into mocking women who support reproductive rights. That's best left to Megyn's fellow practicing Catholic, Fox's Greg Gutfeld whose idea of humor is to slut shame women who have abortions and who support abortion rights. Sandra Fluke's commentary was powerful. The Georgetown woman, who lost the ovary, was repeatedly denied access to birth control pills because the Georgetown decision makers claimed that she really wanted the pills to prevent a pregnancy. It should be noted that she is a lesbian. And word to Trace Gallagher, birth control isn't predicated on the amount of sex one has. It doesn't matter if you have one partner or many - the prescription is the same. And why should women have to rely on condoms when birth control pills can provide a more reliable form of birth control? But according to Megyn, (who can afford birth control if it already isn't covered by her Fox health care) and Trace, it's all about the sex. Nice to know that an alleged "news" anchor, on an alleged "news" show, thinks that women's reproductive health care is a laughing matter. It's so funny, I forgot to laugh. Fox News - "Fair & Balanced."

*After stating, last week, that Sandra Fluke is a "slut" and a "prostitute" who "is having so much sex she can't afford the contraception," Rush doubled down. Today he said that women who want insurance covered birth control post sex tapes on line. He also said that he will buy them aspirin to put between their knees. The word "shame" comes to mind and I'm not talking about Georgetown students.