This week, Rush Limbaugh added fire to the assault on women currently taking place in our nation (I’m staring daggers at you, Virginia). He went as far as to call Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown student who testified before Congress a “slut” and then, demanded that she post pornography for him and the rest of the world to watch in return for the taxpayers paying for her birth control pills.
After cursing, I reflected a bit. Limbaugh simply showed the world what he really thinks about women, by taking a debate about health care and making it a condemnation of “sluts,” reducing women’s health issues to sex. Because, after all, that’s what this is about. Not medical issues – just sex. Ergo, that must be what women are for. Never mind that Fluke was testifying on behalf of a friend who needed birth control for an actual medical reason.
And by branding her a “slut” and a “prostitute” for her testimony, Limbaugh cheapened the entire debate.
The conversation was not supposed to be about sex. It was supposed to be about access to medication – the reasons for which should only be between a woman and her doctor. Let the record show that there are many uses for oral contraception that are not about sex, but are about health – including uses for polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, and adenomyosis.
But Limbaugh ignored these things, and lasered in on Fluke's personal life. And therefore, he did what the Washington Post referred to as “slut shaming.”
Because to make his point, Limbaugh had to reduce Fluke to a whore. Instead of simply coming up with a counterargument that was concise and legitimate, he tried to discredit her by insulting her, talking about how much sex she must be having and then, succeeded in discrediting himself by demanding that she perform for him.
Not only is this ungentlemanly, it’s unconscionable. Only someone who genuinely hates women would think this tone of discourse is acceptable.