Female Democrats walk out of contraceptive hearing
Two female Democrats walked out of the House oversight committee’s contraceptive meeting Thursday morning, saying Chairman Darrell Issa manipulated the hearing to stop women from being able to testify.
“What I want to know is, where are the women?” asked Rep. Carolyn Maloney, before walking out, according to Politico.”I look at this panel [of witnesses], and I don’t see one single individual representing the tens of millions of women across the country who want and need insurance coverage for basic preventive health care services, including family planning.”
The five witnesses on the first panel of the hearing were all male religious leaders or professors, according to Politico.
Two women were listed as witnesses for the later hearing, but Politico reported that the first panel usually draws the most attention at a hearing.
Maloney pressed Issa to allow Sandra Fluke to testify about the pros and cons of the requirement to have health plans cover birth control with no co-pay. Issa said Fluke was rejected because she was”not found to be appropriate or qualified” to talk about religious liberty.
Issa said liberty, not contraception, was the topic of the hearing, so female witnesses were not a topic of high priority.
Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, the only female Republican legislator at the hearing, agreed with Issa. ”I really find it so objectionable that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would characterize this as something so narrow as being about contraception,” she said. “This is a fundamental assault on one’s conscience.”
According to the Atlantic Wire, Nancy Pelosi said she may have to “explain biology” to her colleagues.
