A House Oversight Committee hearing Thursday morning began with a heated debate and a walkout over witnesses. The question of who could testify was so contentious because it was part of the fundamental political argument at stake over the administration’s rule on contraception coverage: whether the issue at stake is access to contraception or religious liberty.At the outset, Democrats and Republicans sparred over whether the Minority’s witness would be allowed to testify. Democrats had requested that Sandra Fluke, a third-year law student at Georgetown University Law School, should testify in favor of the administration’s rule to preserve contraception coverage at religiously-affiliated organizations. Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa turned down their request, saying that her perspective on contraception was not relevant to a hearing on the subject of religious liberty.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=101363