Sandra Fluke: Name Calling Won't Silence Us

Sandra Fluke contributed an op-ed to CNN today, and though she doesn't mention Rush Limbaugh by name, she makes clear that she wasn't cowed by his "slut" diatribe. "Opponents of reproductive health access demonized and smeared me and others on the public airwaves," she writes. "These smears are obvious attempts to distract from meaningful policy discussions and to silence women's voices regarding their own health care," but they have "clearly failed" because people across the country have sent her messages of support.

Those supporters include women suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome, who need birth control to prevent cysts; sexual assault victims; Catholic women who support family planning; and men who support them. "Restricting access to such a basic health care service, which 99% of sexually experienced American women have used and 62% of American women are using right now, is out of touch with public sentiment. … Attacking me and women who use contraception by calling us prostitutes and worse cannot silence us." (More Sandra Fluke stories.)