In a show of moral support, President Barack Obama called Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke on Friday defending her in the face of conservative radio icon Rush Limbaugh's "reprehensible ... personal and crude" attacks on her, the White House said.

The conversation, which lasted for "several minutes," came after Limbaugh branded Fluke a "slut" and a "prostitute" for her support of women having access to birth control, Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, said. The president made the call right before Fluke was scheduled to appear on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports.

Obama "wanted to offer his support to her," said Carney. "He wanted to express his disappointment that she has been the subject of inappropriate personal attacks, and to thank her for exercising her rights as a citizen to speak out on an issue of public policy."

Fluke appeared on the "Today" show Friday morning to talk about the incident. "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 said. "[It's] an attempt to silence me, to silence all of us from speaking about the health care we need."

Despite the fire around his comments, Limbaugh continued his verbal assault on Fluke on his radio show Friday, even as some conservatives spoke out against his controversial comments about contraception.

"A woman comes out of nowhere," Limbaugh said on Friday. "She's having so much sex she can't pay for it."

He didn't stop there.

"So the woman comes forth with this, frankly, hilarious claim that she's having so much sex, and her buddies with her, that she can't afford it," says Limbaugh. "And not one person says, 'Well, did you ever think about maybe backing off the amount of sex that you have? Do you ever think maybe it's your responsibility for your own birth control, not everybody else's?'"

Limbaugh also argued that Democrats made birth control an issue because Obama is polling badly with women. "This isn't about birth control. This isn't about contraception," Limbaugh said. "This is about expanding the reach of the government in to your womb. ... Whatever happened to 'Hands off our bodies'?"

The talk radio host assured listeners that he doesn't hate women and asked his critics to lighten up.

At the hearing where Fluke originally spoke about the issue, she argued women should have free access to contraceptives, complaining that Georgetown, a Catholic university, won't cover it for her.

"Contraception can cost a woman over $3,000 during law school," she said. "For a lot of students like me who are on public interest scholarships, that's practically an entire summer's salary."

After her comments, Limbaugh lashed out on Wednesday, when the whole controversy began. "What does it say about the college co-ed Fluke, who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says she must be paid to have sex?" Limbaugh said. "What does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex. She's having so much sex she can't afford the contraception."

Limbaugh later suggested that in exchange for contraceptives paid for by taxpayers, Fluke should produce a sex tape.

"If we are going to pay for your contraceptives and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something for it," Limbaugh said. "We want you to post the videos online so we can all watch."

House Democrats immediately called on House speaker John Boehner to denounce Limbaugh's comments, and his office did so on Friday.

"The speaker obviously believes the use of those words was inappropriate, as is trying to raise money off the situation," Boehner spokesman Michael Steel told CNN.

Olivier Knox contributed reporting.





hahahahahahaha... rush is a funny guy... but he needs the ratings right now.

I bet he's getting them right now LOL

so is obama giving out rubbers too? if not, that seems really sexist, because it sounds to me like he's saying it's all the womans problem, not the guys...

Limbaugh is such a stupid drug addicted pig that he didn't even consider that her testimony wasn't even about herself and birth control. It was about her friends need for the birth control pills to control her ovarian cysts.

He is such a disgusting human being. It is hard for me to retain any hope for him to grow a brain.

nice try... are you saying that BC pills are the only way to control her cysts? there is no other drug? i won't argue about him being disgusting, but i am almost sure there are other ways to control the cysts...

skipping over the part about barry being sexist, are we?

Because I believe you are a man, you are being excused for your ignorance of what birth control is used for in woman's health since it is a lot more than just to prevent pregnancy. Women take them for all kinds of conditions and health issues.

Of course Limbaugh is too stupid and misogynistic to even make that a thought in his pickled brain.

Obama, if that is who you were speaking of, hasn't said anything sexist yet. So that isn't a discussion to be had.

so, he is giving out free rubbers too? i want some, i am tired of paying for them. and there are other reasons for rubbers too...

So now we can end this conversation also since you cannot comprehend what I was saying here either. Carry on.

thats ok, he's just trying to get more female votes, thats all... if he really cared, rubbers would be included in the freebies... you libs are so clueless....

True, I’ve only listened to Rush daily for twenty two years. If he lost half his audience he would still be number one but he wont he will come out of this flying high because he is the best at what he does. He, Rush Limbaugh is a radio broadcaster and most of the people on this web sit are liars.