21 Facts About Sandra Fluke

Sandra Kay Fluke is an American lawyer, women's rights activist, and representative to the Democratic Party of San Fernando Valley.

Sandra Fluke first came to public attention when, in February 2012, Republican members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee refused to allow her to testify to that committee on the importance of requiring insurance plans to cover birth control during a discussion on whether medical insurance should have a contraception mandate.

Sandra Fluke ran for the California State Senate seat of Ted Lieu, who vacated the seat to run for the congressional seat being vacated by Henry Waxman.

Sandra Fluke is a native of Saxton, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Richard B Fluke II, a licensed pastor at a Methodist church, and Betty Kay.

Sandra Fluke co-founded the New York Statewide Coalition for Fair Access to Family Court, whose advocacy led to legislation granting access to civil orders of protection for victims of intimate partner violence, including teenage and LGBTQ victims.

Sandra Fluke spent the following three years trying to persuade the administration of the Jesuit college to change its policy regarding student contraceptive coverage.

Sandra Fluke said she had intended to use her testimony before Congress to talk about the effects of the lack of birth control coverage on students at Georgetown.

In 2011, Sandra Fluke was a recipient of the Women Lawyers of Los Angeles' Fran Kandel Public Interest Grant from Georgetown University Law Center, which supported her production of a video on how to take out a restraining order.

Sandra Fluke "represented numerous victims of domestic violence and human trafficking," according to Georgetown University.

Sandra Fluke served as president of the Georgetown Law Students for Reproductive Justice student organization.

Sandra Fluke passed the California bar exam in July 2012 and was admitted to practice in the state on December 11,2012.

Committee chairman Darrell Issa, a Republican congressman from California, refused to allow Sandra Fluke to testify at the hearing, stating that Sandra Fluke lacked expertise, was not a member of the clergy, and her name was not submitted in time for the hearing.

Sandra Fluke offered testimony in support of President Obama's ruling that religiously affiliated institutions such as universities and hospitals should provide insurance plans that cover all costs for medicinal contraceptives.

Sandra Fluke said that the women of Georgetown, other religious schools, and employees of religious institutions such as hospitals have endured "financial, emotional and medical burdens because of this lack of contraceptive coverage".

Sandra Fluke mentioned friends affected by such policies, citing a friend with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Sandra Fluke stated this friend needed contraceptive hormones costing over $100 per month to treat the disease, and that while PcOS was "covered by Georgetown insurance", the insurance company repeatedly denied contraceptives because they suspected the purpose of the medication was for contraceptive uses.

Sandra Fluke spoke instead about the experiences of fellow law students; according to The Washington Post, these included "Students who pay as much as $1,000 a year out-of-pocket for a birth-control prescription, a married woman who stopped taking the pill because she couldn't afford it, and a friend who needed the prescription for a medical condition unrelated to pregnancy but gave up battling to get it".

Sandra Fluke received a phone call from United States President Barack Obama, who expressed disappointment that Sandra Fluke had been the subject of "unfortunate attacks".

Sandra Fluke described Obama as "a president who has consistently shown he will defend [women's] rights while working to ensure that all women and men have all the protections and opportunities they need to pursue economic success".

Sandra Fluke later introduced President Obama at an August 2012 campaign rally in Denver and spoke in support of the president at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, describing the Republican Party's platform as "an offensive, obsolete relic of our past".

Two years after moving to West Hollywood, Sandra Fluke announced she was running for California State Senate in the new 26th district created by the 2011 redistricting.