Limbaugh’s “Slut” Comment Typifies the Wrongs of the Right

Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke advocated the federal government’s requirement that insurance companies provide “free” birth control, arguing that, without it, women "struggle financially" and feel “powerless.”

In response, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh called Fluke a “slut,” the New York Daily News reports. Fluke fired back, saying Limbaugh’s “language is an attack on all women, and has been used throughout history to silence our voices.”

They’re both wrong. Limbaugh is obviously and absurdly wrong to imply that a woman who advocates the birth control mandate does so because she’s a “slut,” and Fluke is clearly wrong to claim that women have a right to “free” birth control.

In fact, the mandate violates the rights of women (and men) and disregards the “voices” of everyone forced to fund birth control against his will. For example, neither my wife nor I need to purchase birth control at this point in our lives (though we bought it out-of-pocket for many years), because we’re trying to have children. Yet the mandate forces us to pay higher insurance premiums to fund “free” birth control for others.

This spat between Limbaugh and Fluke is a microcosm of the irrationality driving the left and, unfortunately, many on the right. After the left succeeds in expanding some forced wealth transfer scheme—which is what the birth control mandate is—the unprincipled right reacts, not by identifying the fundamental issue (i.e., individual rights) and addressing it, but by resorting to inanity.

It’s simple: To defend America, the right must stand for rights.

Note: Because the original language in this post concerning Limbaugh’s “slut” comment was potentially misleading, I have altered it to be more clear. —AA

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• How the Catholic Church Paved the Way for the Birth Control Mandate
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• Ignore Santorum’s Depraved Prescription: Have Sex for Pleasure this Valentine’s Day

Image: Wikipedia

About Ari Armstrong

Ari Armstrong blogs at AriArmstrong.com, and he has written for publications including the Denver Post and Complete Colorado. He is the author of Values of Harry Potter: Lessons for Muggles, a book exploring the heroic fight for life-promoting values in the Potter novels.

View all articles by Ari Armstrong →