BLS Note: What the hell?  We now have birth control activists? For what? Forcing others to pay for horizontal pleasures, by Co-eds? The funny thing is that the Media has fallen right into Rush's "satire trap," Rest assured, Rush is absolutely giddy that this has turned into a comedy routine for the hapless elitist class....

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Today

The ongoing debate over birth control took a particularly nasty turn recently when conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh called Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke a “slut” and “prostitute” for speaking out about the issue.

Fluke, a birth control activist, spoke with TODAY’s Matt Lauer about Limbaugh’s comments and the failure of a GOP-sponsored amendment that would have allowed employers at religious institutions to opt out of providing contraception in health plans.

Fluke told Lauer that she expected some backlash, especially from someone like Limbaugh. Still, the comments stung — especially since they were made on the first day of Women’s History Month.

“I think my reaction was the reaction a lot of women have had historically when they’ve been called these types of names: Initially to be stunned by it, and then to quickly feel outraged and very upset,” she told Lauer.

Limbaugh’s comments came on the heels of heated congressional debate over the so-called “Blunt Amendment,” a measure that ultimately failed in the Senate and would have nixed the Obama administration’s mandate on contraception. Lawmakers evoked Fluke’s name during the debate as someone who testified during an unofficial democratic committee hearing headed by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., about how a friend needed birth control to shrink ovarian cysts and help preserve her fertility.

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Fluke had been previously blocked from testifying before a Republican-led, all-male congressional panel on contraception and religious freedom.

Limbaugh said Fluke was just trying to promote casual sex.

Democratic congresswomen, including Pelosi, released a statement criticizing what they called the “vicious and inappropriate attacks” leveled at Fluke. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and more than 75 Democratic lawmakers have called on Republican colleagues to condemn Limbaugh’s attack.

"When Sandra Fluke testified before the House Democratic Steering and Policy committee after Republicans attempted to silence her, she courageously spoke truth to power,” the congresswomen wrote in a statement. “She has been subject to attacks that are outside the circle of civilized discussion and that unmask the strong disrespect for women held by some in this country."

More: Why birth control is pushing political buttons
Limbaugh: Contraception advocate should post sex videos
Senate defeats limit on birth control coverage
Video: College student testifies at birth control hearing 
Boehner calls Limbaugh remarks 'inappropriate'

TODAY.com political contributor Halimah Abdullah is the site’s woman in Washington.