Democrats hear from woman snubbed by GOP lawmakers

Washington (AP) — A female Georgetown University law student finally got her chance to talk to Congress, or at a handful of sympathetic lawmakers.

Although Congress was in recess Thursday, Sandra Fluke was treated to rock-star status as the lone witness at a mock birth control hearing conducted by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and three other Democrats. Dozens of mostly young women supporters of Democratic positions crowded into a House office building room to hear Fluke speak on the importance of women being able to access contraceptive health care.

Last week Republicans refused to let Fluke testify at a hearing where a parade of witnesses criticized the Obama administration's policy requiring that employees of religious-affiliated institutions have access to health care insurance that provides birth control coverage.