Two female Democrats walked out of a House oversight committee
hearing on the contraceptive coverage rule Thursday morning, accusing
Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) of manipulating committee rules to
block female witnesses from testifying.
“What I want to know is,
where are the women?” asked Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) before walking
out. “I look at this panel [of witnesses], and I don’t see one single
individual representing the tens of millions of women across the country
who want and need insurance coverage for basic preventive health care
services, including family planning.”
The five witnesses on the first panel were all male
religious leaders or professors, including a Catholic bishop. Two women
were listed on the committee website as witnesses for a second, later
panel, also dominated by conservatives. The first panel, however, tends
to draw the most attention at hearings.
