Two hundred fifty Georgetown University Law Center (the name of the law school) faculty, staff and students signed the following statement:
The undersigned faculty members, administrators and students of Georgetown University Law Center and other law schools strongly condemn the recent personal attacks on our student, Sandra Fluke. Ms. Fluke has had the courage to publicly defend and advocate for her beliefs about an important issue of widespread concern. She has done so with passion and intelligence. And she has been rewarded with the basest sort of name-calling and vilification, words that aim only to belittle and intimidate. As scholars and teachers who aim to train public-spirited lawyers, no matter what their politics, to engage intelligently and meaningfully with the world, we abhor these attacks on Ms. Fluke and applaud her strength and grace in the face of them.
Here’s what was missing:
We believe firmly in the rights protected by the First Amendment, and by appearing before a congressional panel Ms. Fluke was fulfilling “the right of the people … to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
Yet the First Amendment contains other protections, and starts with the words “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ….”
While we defend Ms. Fluke’s right to appear before Congress, we also defend the right of Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic and Jesuit institute of higher learning in the United States, to be free from laws of Congress prohibiting the free exercise of religion, and we condemn Ms. Fluke for advocating the use of the police powers of the state to trample on religious freedom in violation of the free exercise clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution.
Update: Sandra Fluke Does Not Speak for Me and The War on Fertility (h/t HotAir).
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Comments
Amen to that, Prof.
Plus, it is apparent that Ms. Fluke’s testimony was a fabric of lies, as I think will be determined shortly.
New media has made statements like hers “testable”.
How short-sighted Georgetown is… They are getting played by their own student. You would think a great law institution like Georgetown would have done their research into who their student is, what her agenda is, and what this administration is up too.
You did a much better job of defending Georgetown’s 1st amendment rights then they did.
They’re not being played. It is called the long march and it’s always an inside job.
With VERY few exceptions, law schools are the most homogeneous bastions of Collectivism in the nation. There is no surprise here, and nobody on the faculty would dream of “researching” Fluke’s comments if they are like those I’ve known.
Interesting… Well then Rush and the new media did this country a favor by exposing quite a bit about this democrat set up. I’m sure I am not the only one who is surprised by Georgetown’s above statement. Now we know.
I’m a Catholic, and when Notre Dame had O speak at their commencement, I was shocked. O, who believes in infanticide. And the bishops who endorsed Obamacare are now complaining about it. Well, you reap what you sow, as they should know very well.
http://conservativedailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Fluke-5902.jpg
Sometimes, pictures are worth MORE than a thousand words.
Something tells me this Georgetown student didn’t sign the petition. “Sandra Fluke Does Not Speak For Me”:
http://thecollegeconservative.com/2012/03/02/sandra-fluke-does-not-speak-for-me/
Prof,
I don’t think you’ve ever been to Georgtown. Years ago I was there (interviewing for Medical School) and I can heartily assure you, it’s hardly “Catholic” or “Jesuit” anymore.
On the day of my visit the “Pro-Choice Club” was handing out condoms in the student quad. I was told there was “intense debate” over whether crucifixes should be hung in the classrooms (to avoid offending those who were not Catholic. Strangely they bragged about this intense debate as to it made them more Catholic). Finally I was told “not to worry if I had interest in Stem Cell Research, even though Georgtown didn’t do such research (because of “Catholic rules”) since this was DC they’d facilitate some arrangement with the NIH or another college to ensure my “oppertunities weren’t lost.”
I myself am a Catholic whose had over a long amount of time in Catholic higher ed (at schools sometimes critiqued for having lost their identity) but Georgetown was head and shoulders above them when it came to “faux Catholicism.” It was a blessing when I didn’t get in (because the temptation to go to a “top tier school” and compromise my beliefs was taken of the table.)
Professor, thank you for addressing this dog and pony show. It seems that Ms. Fluke is way more than just your normal third year law student. What she really is, is a professional agitator, a “community organizer” type, who was a plant for Nancy Pelosi.
30 years old, not the 23 years as reported, Sandra Fluke has been organizing for “feminine” rights for quite a few years. Her Georgetown U. bio says she was awarded (honorary?) a B.S. in Policy Analysis & Management, as well as Feminist, Genderm & Sexuality Studies in 2003, nine years ago from Cornell. [I found the term “awarded” to be a bit odd since all the other people listed had “earned” degrees from other universities. Perhaps you can explain the difference?]
Fluke was the recipient of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles Public Interest Grant, a group I am sure that Nancy Pelosi is well aware of. Now, you know that has to be an ultra conservative group, right? So Ms. Fluke is attending one of the most prestigious law schools in the nation, FOR FREE.
JammieWearingFool reported that in a recent interview, Fluke said that she had examined Georgetown’s student insurance policy prior to accepting a position there, and learned that it did not offer contraceptive coverage, so she decided to accept the Georgetown offer so she could take that policy on through her work with Law Students for Reproductive Justice. IOW, Fluke accepted the offer from Georgetown, not for the excellent education in the field of law that she would get, but because she could continue to push her agenda of reproductive “justice”, whatever that is.
Perhaps it is time for the Jesuits to start vetting their applicants better. Actually, as a Catholic I feel it is long past time for the Jesuits to start cleaning up their act.
My how the women’s movement has evolved from one where “a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle” to one where they want to get credit for bed sores and have religious groups pay for them.
Of course, Obama, whose priorities are not in line with the rest of the nation, called this woman to wish her well. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry’s family is still waiting for a call from the POTUS.
That’s the retire05 I like to read. Good info.
LukeHandCool – it was good to see you comment on the “Sandra Fluke does not speak to me” article. People want to make this an issue of contraception. It’s not. It’s an issue of what the government can mandate, its assault on the free market and freedom of religion.
Haha!
Thanks. You too, Doug!
Just a quick note on the honorary thingy…
Degrees are often said to be “awarded”, “bestowed”, or “conferred”…
after you TOTALLY earned them and paid for them.
This is not what the November election is about. Shame on The Stupid Party for losing any semblance of message control. Maybe they deserve to lose.
I disagree, Anch. This is EXACTLY what divides our nation. Fluke speaks for the soft tyranny of statism in her role as victim/advocate.
“Fluke speaks for the soft tyranny of statism in her role as victim/advocate.”
Which is precisely why she should be ignored. Or, possibly, ridiculed. I can’t make up my mind which is more appropriate.
What does NOT need to happen is for us to give these people any more time or forae than absolutely necessary. The way to do that is to refuse to engage them beyond a simple acknowledgement that they said something stupid.
We’ve got 99 problems in this country and Fluke ain’t one of them.
Au contraire! Socialist-liberal-progressive-Democrats are interested in fundamentally transforming our country. That means destroying the economy a la Argentina, by providing universal pensions, health care and housing is part of the agenda. That means changing freedom of religion to freedom to worship. That means attacking religious institutions on as many fronts as possible: abortion, sexual promiscuity and homosexual issues. This is a battle on many fronts. It behooves conservatives and the faithful to answer the call on all fronts.
Republicans can’t control the narrative because they have only one somewhat friendly ally in the media, and that is Fox.
The Democrat Media Complex allowed the narrative to be a religious liberty issue for about a day and a half. They quickly realized they’d lose if that’s how the issue was framed, so they made it about contraception. Darrell Issa called for a hearing titled, “Lines Crossed: Separation of Church and State. Has the Obama Administration Trampled on Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Conscience?”
http://oversight.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1598:2-16-12-qlines-crossed-separation-of-church-and-state-has-the-obama-administration-trampled-on-freedom-of-religion-and-freedom-of-conscienceq&catid=12&Itemid=20
How was that hearing reported? After Pelosi created a media stunt by walking out on the hearing directly to a microphone to declare she was outraged Issa would call a hearing about contraception and not invite any women (which was a lie, two women were invited), virtually EVERY one of the “main” stories on Memeorandum about that hearing had the word “contraception” in the headline. Not a single “main” story identified the hearing as being about religious liberty. Here’s the Memeorandum archive from that day at 4:20 pm.
http://www.memeorandum.com/120216/h1620
(I am convinced the Left has figured out how to game the Memeorandum algorithm so that their blog posts achieve greater prominence on Memeorandum, but I digress).
The reality is that the media controls the national narrative, and the media is controlled by those who are overly-sympathetic to Democrats. It almost seems to me that the media has taken the stand, “if you Republicans want to complain about media bias, then we’re going to show you bias”. I don’t know how to change it to achieve better balance. Do you?
What’s next. A demand that Brigham Young University subsidize a student’s caffeine habit?
Some scientific studies have found health benefits from coffee, so free coffee!
And some other studies have found coffee can make you horny.
LukeHandCool (who goes crazy from the scent of suntan lotion wafting up in the air from gaggles of girls lying on the beach on a hot, sunny day).
Mmmm…suntan lotioned girls…Gaallaaa…
(spoken as Homer Simpson drooling over bacon-wrapped butter sticks…)
Suntan lotion should be free and it should be mandatory for girls to slather it on and only be seen outside the house in bikinis.
LukeHandCool (who suddenly thinks he could get into this progressive way of telling people how to run their lives).
These 250 mean greedy law professors should take a pay cut so that Fluke can afford birth control. That’s speaking Oppressive language. Why are we reacting the way they always want us to. Give them back a taste of their own medicine. Oppressives don’t believe in making money.
She can obtain FREE birth control from Planned Parenthood’s “Take Charge” Program. This is all planned Astroturf agiprop. Time to go back to the Team Axelrod Central for new talking points. Fluke flunked and has been exposed for the hack that she is.
This is an interesting article about the GOP superdelegates – most are still holding back their support for a candidate. More proof that this is still a wide open race.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/GOPSuperdelegates/2012/03/03/id/431283
InstaPundit wrote this in connection with Eric Holder’s support of continuing institutionalized racism, but it applies here just as well…
“One way that the Dems silence the GOP is by spreading the idea that it’s somehow bad manners to criticize them on their chosen issues. Part of Andrew Breitbart’s secret to success was that he didn’t care about that. For the non-Frumish GOP, there’s a lesson there.”
Indeed…
This response is reminiscent of Marquette’s go around with hiring an openly practicing, lesbian-life-style supporting professor from another Jesuit university to become a Department Chair in Marquette. When word got out this was going to happen, a firestorm whipped up, and she wasn’t hired. However a large number of faculty and priests associated with Marquette signed an open letter in the newspaper, supporting the lesbian professor. If so-called Catholic institutions are going to promote positions in such great opposition to the teachings of the church, then eventually those institutions find themselves outside the Church.
I know of at least one college in the Milwaukee area which now advertises itself as being “In the Catholic Tradition”. They pride themselves on being independent, and not being under the control of the Church. Which means if you send your daughters there, your daughters will encounter young, female instructors, not a whole lot older than your daughters, living out-of-wedlock with their boyfriends. So much for setting a good example.
EHa, the irony. I practice the Marquette Method of NFP. Happy and contracetive with that method for over two years. Done other forms of NFP prior to that, which were good also.
My research has shown that of the 250 signers, 213 have had sex with Ms. Fluke at least once in the last six months. It’s settled science.
Do you know Georgetown has an Institute on Reproductive Health with a female director. Much effort in research has been done in Natural Family Planning, their results are comparative to the Pill. Georgetown research is accepted by academica, as good science and good health.
Not to sound a little paranoid, but NFP methods are showing good effective results for women of all backgrounds. If half the women on the Pill switched to an NFP method that worked from them, that’s a big cut in Pharma’s profits.
The attack of Cathloic Institutions is the likes of a Hollywood movie.
So, once NFP practitioners acquire the information on how-to-do, where is the profit? Drug companies are making money on birth control, why are liberals protesting out side of their homes?
I suspect Planned Parenthood knows darn well that birth control pills are not effective enough, which is why they will give those away, and make money on the abortions.
By portraying Georgetown Law women as nymphomaniacs who will not take responsibility for their own sex lives, Ms. Fluke has UNDERMINED generations of female lawyers who have worked hard to be treated professionally and without sexism tarnishing their abilities.
Apparently, Ms. Fluke and Mrs. Pelosi, think that women lawyers are first and foremost, concerned with sexual activity rather than with professional excellence. Pity.
I have a suggestion for Ms. Fluke… try the rhythym method, it’s free.
The Pill is based on the rhythym method, because of its artificial 28 day cycle. Sadly NFP is mocked to be nothing but the rhythym method.
THe pill prevents the eggs from coming into play.
Ovulation is wiped out for that month.
Ovulation timing methods are quite high tech & improving rapidly due to IVF.
Cheers.
I have a better suggestion: try abstinence. It’s free. No diseases, no pregnancies.
[…] Something missing from Georgetown Law’s condemnation – William Jacobson, Legal Insurrection […]
http://media.townhall.com/townhall/townhallvideothumbs/hb/cartoon.jpg
Another good one…
Notice – the Jenny (female Jackass) is decked out in Pelosi’s hair style and trademark beads.
[…] Jacobson has a telling post at Legal Insurrection on this matter and he also references another Georgetown student, Angela […]
So you’re saying the Georgetown Law faculty and students don’t actually know anything about the controversy in question? Or that they don’t really believe in the law? Either way, it explains a lot.
btw: My wife, on hearing the content of Ms. Fluke’s testimony, said exactly what Rush said. People forget that one of the reasons for his popularity is that he says what so many of the rest of us are thinking.
One is tempted to say that only a lawyer could argue for contraception in the name of “reproductive justice” with a straight face. A demand for a public subsidy for irresponsible behavior isn’t courageous, it’s brazen.
Dana Loesch has a pretty good take on why the GOP doesn’t win these kinds of fights:
http://bigjournalism.com/dloesch/2012/03/02/republicans-fall-for-manufactured-story/
Super Tuesday. USA biggest producer of energy in the world within the next decade. Education run by parents and teachers for the good of the children. Environmental solutions. Prosperity. Jobs. An exciting future instead of horror and dread.
Does a contraceptives discussion motivate you to fiercely support the one candidate who can turn around gas prices and the economy in 6 to 18 months? The candidate who will repeal and repudiate about 40% of Obama’s government on the FIRST DAY IN OFFICE?
Economic disaster is coming if we don’t stop it. These people may be doing it on purpose. “They’re trying to make us all beggars, because beggars are easier to please.”
WE win the culture war by addressing the culture upstream, where it originates.
WE need to make movies, write books, confront the Leftist lies. Andrew Breitbart talked about this all the time.
And here, before Super Tuesday, this is what we’re talking about.
You guys, we’re up at bat. The election is Tuesday. Now. Tuesday.
If you want to win the culture war, act now.
Sign up at Newt’s Network.com. Sign up at newt.org. Call Newt supporters around the country & give moral support. Help Newt now.
Diverting attention to this kind of ridiculous issue is the same, same, same, same, same, same, same, same, same game the Left run every time, every where. WHY HAS IT COME UP RIGHT NOW? And Establishment Republicans bite. They really are the party of stupid. Pelosi must MARVEL at how well this works.
Newt is the battering ram with which we start to break this up. BE STRONG. Take action. Now. Because it’s now, my friends. Super Tuesday.
“Diverting attention to this kind of ridiculous issue is the same, same, same, same, same, same, same, same, same game the Left run every time, every where. WHY HAS IT COME UP RIGHT NOW? And Establishment Republicans bite. They really are the party of stupid. Pelosi must MARVEL at how well this works.”
Yep, I agree. I said basically the same thing yesterday using different words. Rush isn’t stupid, he had to know the GOP wouldn’t back him up, so why start a fight knowing that? The Dems have raised a ton of money over this and it got their base motivated. And we got what we usually get.
At least Newt didn’t fall for it and he’s staying on message, he knows enough to pick fights we can win, that’s why we need him.
Let me solve this quickly and simply to the satisfaction of the law student girls gone wild and their detractors. My tweet of the day (if I knew how to tweet):
Ms. Fluke:
Stick to oral arguments and oral sex.
Actually, there has been an increase in esophageal cancers. Seems the virus responsible for cervical cancer also causes cancers in the mouth and throat. Best solution is to be chaste before and after marriage. Chastity in marriage means being faithful to wedding vows of fidelity. As long as liberals push their “if it feels good, do it” theme, people are going to get diseases. Real diseases. Pregnancy is not a disease.
Line from “The Hangover”: “Remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Except for herpes, that shit’ll follow you home.”
Taxpayers should finance material associated with simple, normal bodily functions. OK. I want free toilet tissue…Georgia-Pacific.
OK, BillyTex is a KOCH BROTHER…!!!
Ms. Fluke is an “activist” who made it her mission to enroll at Georgetown and start this controversy. I wouldn’t be very surprised at all if she is being paid to do this to stir up the debate over healthcare.
You know, Obama, Axelrod and Company will absolutely destroy Romney on this issue if he’s the nominee. Because, back in 2009, Romney supposedly told Obama to support the individual mandate. Tell me, how does Romney walk that one back?
As said above, the GOP never wins these type of issues.
“We need clearer language in Washington, not fuzzier.” Will you shift what you believe in? “No. I’m going to look for things we agree on, not for things we don’t agree on.”
http://conservatives4newt.blogspot.com/2012/03/newt-says-he-wont-shift-on-core-issues.html
Seven minutes of reminder how we start to fix this mess. Newt in Atlanta March 1st.
The Left stirs up these sickening controversies to make us feel demoralized and hopeless.
Keep you eyes on what you want and why you want it. Jobs. Prosperity. American energy. Strong and peaceful. The spirit of fair play. American People working together.
“Ms. Fluke has had the courage to publicly defend and advocate for her beliefs about an important issue of widespread concern. She has done so with passion and intelligence.”
Intelligence?? If Georgtown law school thinks her testimony was intelligent there’s a real problem with graduate institutions. Of course, what kind of law school thinks arguments based mainly on hearsay and immaterial evidence is good practice and deserved of praise? YIKES!
Yes Professor, the question at hand deals with the first amendment not cash-strapped sex obsessed co-eds.
The thing regarding this that should be on SNL tonight is the President actually saying that Fluke’s parents SHOULD BE PROUD!
Unbeknownst to the Georgetown law student who testified on the issue of her Catholic College to cover contraception, over at the Georgetown Institute of Reproductive Health they been doing a lot of medical research on women’s health all without contraception.
”
Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) was awarded the 5-year Fertility Awareness-Based Methods (FAM) Project in September 2007 by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The goal of the FAM Project is to increase access to and use of FAM – in particular the Standard Days Method® (SDM), the TwoDay Method®, and the Lactational Amenorrhea Method® (LAM) – within the framework of informed choice.
The FAM Project builds upon the experience of previous USAID-funded projects in which IRH developed, tested and introduced FAM in diverse family planning programs in over 20 countries worldwide. With continued emphasis on research-to-practice, the FAM Project engages with partners at the community, national, and international levels to create a supportive policy environment for FAM, build capacity and develop tools to offer high-quality FAM services, and generate and apply best practices.”
Yes, the United States government approves non-contraceptive practices.
Tip for all prostitutes out there:
When threatened with arrest, just tell the officer the money you take from your dates is to pay for contraception and that you are an aspiring law student.
I think Fluke should enter the English language as a vernacular term meaning progressive “love.”
My favorite scene from “Fluke Story”:
“Fluke means never having to say ‘I love you.'”
OK, I know I’ve said this before, but…
this whole thing is a giant “SQUIRREL…!!!”
http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2012/03/03/rush-limbaugh-and-the-year-of-the-squirrel/
Not that the base story is irrelevant AT ALL. But the focus by the Mushroom Media meme certainly is a study in taking the public’s eye off the ACTUAL issues; those being around the growth of an all-determinative Federal state.
The something wrong about Georgetown’s statement & indeed the whole issue is –
Why are people hating on babies?
A few years ago Australia offered $5,000 baby bonus to boost birth rates. It was spectacularly successful & there ois a national baby boom . Yes it was paid for stillborns.
It has been replaced by a parental payment of about $550 per week for 5 months for either parent to stay home & provide care.
Yes contraception is available as are abortions. But BABIES ARE WINNING!
The US birth rate is actually quite high by western standards 2.1. So obviously the ordinary American is still liking babies.
Ours got down to 1.77 in 2002 & is now 1.998 .
From the numbers it appears your existing reproduction practices are successful & not in need of social rearranging.
[…] Professor Jacobson reminds us what the real lesson is: Now let’s get back to getting Fluke and her supporters to understand the meaning of these words which they so wilfully ignore: […]
[…] even in an analogy was inappropriate, as Rush has acknowledged. It also distracted from the attack on religious freedom which is the heart of the […]