Among tonight's speakers at the Democratic National Convention (at 9:16pET) is Sandra Fluke, an activist for women's health rights, especially access to contraception.
The former Georgetown Law student became widely known when she was denied a speaking role in a Congressional hearing on religious liberty and the birth control.
That evening, she made her national debut on The Ed Show:
During her interview with Ed, Fluke clearly came across as a smart, articulate, caring and authentic advocate for women's health rights. But some on the extreme right saw her as a threat and decided to make her a focal point for the election.
On Feb. 29, 2012, conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh slammed Fluke, saying she was asking the government to subsidize her sex life. Actually, she was advocating that private health insurers cover contraception because the benefits go beyond the prevention of pregnancy. But that didn't stop Rush.
"It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute," Limbaugh said on Feb. 29, 2012.
Fluke returned to The Ed Show the next day (Mar. 1, 2012) to respond:
Advertisers and listeners began to abandon Limbaugh in droves. After Rush apologized, presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney offered a wimpy response, saying "it's not the language I would have used."
Meantime, on Mar. 2, 2012, Fluke got a phone call of support from President Obama and since then, she's become a surrogate of his fight for women voters.
Fluke made her debut on the campaign trail on Aug. 8, 2012, when she introduced President Obama at a rally in Colorado.
Fluke returned to The Ed Show that evening to describe her experience:
Then after the Republican National Convention, Fluke returned to The Ed Show on Monday (Sept. 3, 2012) to respond to an insult by Fox News host Bill O'Reilly and preview her speech at the Democratic National Convention.
"What I'm going to try to make clear is the difference between the candidates that we have to choose from this November," Fluke told Ed. "You know, looking at their records, we have President Obama who has stood for women`s health care and our access to contraception, has defended Planned Parenthood and has promoted our right to equal pay for equal work.
She continued: "And then we have Mr. Romney, who, you know, vetoed a bill that would have guaranteed survivors of sexual assault access to emergency contraception in an E.R. And his running mate, Mr. Ryan, who cosponsored the bill to make distinctions between which rape survivors deserve access to the care that they need."
Fluke is scheduled to be speak tonight at the Democratic National Convention at approximately 9:16pET. Watch it on msnbc or here on The Ed Show blog!
We could not be more proud of Fluke and her willingness to go public for the cause of women's health. Congratulations Sandra!