Congressman Towns (Photo: Getty)

After Rush Limbaugh went on his radio show yesterday and implied Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke was a "prostitute" and "slut" for testifying on Capitol Hill in favor of President Barack Obama's contraception coverage rule, he sparked a media firestorm and had a suspicious package delivered to his home, but worst of all, he incurred the wrath of Brooklyn Congressman Ed Towns. Mr. Towns sent Mr. Limbaugh a letter yesterday asking the conservative commentator to apologize for his "vile" remarks.

"I will pray for you, Mr. Limbaugh. I will pray that you watch Ms. Fluke’s eloquent testimony, and that you apologize for stepping so far out of line – even for you," Mr. Towns wrote.

On his show yesterday, Mr. Limbaugh said Ms. Fluke should be willing to make him a sex tape if she wants insurance coverage for birth control medicine.

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

Mr. Towns said he was moved to respond to Mr. Limbaugh due to the "vile nature" of his comments, which he described as "spiteful" and a "gross mischaracterization" of Ms. Fluke's testimony.

"I am almost certain that you did not have the opportunity to watch her testimony before going on the air with your spiteful words. If you had, you would have seen that at no time did she advocate for contraception coverage for herself," Mr. Towns wrote. "She told the story of her married, Georgetown law student friend who learned about the lack of contraception coverage only when she came to the pharmacy to fill her prescription and had to walk away, because she and her husband could not afford the prescription. She also relayed the story of her friend who ended up in the Emergency Room because she was denied contraception coverage when it was required for very legitimate medical reasons."

As a Baptist minister, Mr. Towns said he "respects" the religious case against contraception, but he accused Mr. Limbaugh of making "blatantly false" arguments.

"As a public figure, you should consider doing a little bit of research before spreading inaccurate information," Mr. Towns wrote.

Read the full text of Mr. Towns' letter to Mr. Limbaugh below.

Dear Mr. Limbaugh:

I am writing to you regarding the highly inappropriate comments that you made regarding Sandra Fluke, a witness in a Congressional committee hearing. As the former chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the committee that she was originally invited to testify before, I was prompted to respond, due to the vile nature of your comments and the gross mischaracterization of Ms. Fluke’s testimony.

After learning of your remarks, I am almost certain that you did not have the opportunity to watch her testimony before going on the air with your spiteful words. If you had, you would have seen that at no time did she advocate for contraception coverage for herself. She told the story of her married, Georgetown law student friend who learned about the lack of contraception coverage only when she came to the pharmacy to fill her prescription and had to walk away, because she and her husband could not afford the prescription. She also relayed the story of her friend who ended up in the Emergency Room because she was denied contraception coverage when it was required for very legitimate medical reasons.

Mr. Limbaugh, I am an ordained Baptist minister. I respect the religious arguments being made. However, some of the arguments being raised by you and by some of the other critics of this new rule are blatantly false. As a public figure, you should consider doing a little bit of research before spreading inaccurate information.

I will pray for you, Mr. Limbaugh. I will pray that you watch Ms. Fluke’s eloquent testimony, and that you apologize for stepping so far out of line – even for you.

Sincerely,

Edolphus “Ed” Towns

Member of Congress

Kirsten Gillibrand (Photo: Wikimedia)

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is the latest lawmaker to criticize the House for holding a hearing on President Barack Obama's controversial contraception coverage rule without including any women on the opening panel. In an email sent to supporters today, Ms. Gillibrand said she was "outraged" by the absence of female speakers at the House oversight committee hearing.

"I don't know about you but I was outraged yesterday when the House held a hearing on birth control, without including a single woman on the opening panel," she wrote. 

Ms. Gillibrand also included a photo of the hearing showing the all-male panelists.

"Sometimes a picture really says it all," she wrote.

Her email ended with a request readers sign up to join the Senate Democrats' "One Million Strong For Women" initiative.

"Women must be heard. Speak out loud and clear. Right now."

Upper East Side Congresswomen Carolyn Maloney  and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents the District of Columbia, both walked out of the hearing after asking about the lack of women on the panel. California Congressman Darrell Issa, who chairs the oversight committee, rejected a female Georgetown law student Democrats submitted to be on the panel because he said she was "not found to be appropriate or qualified." President Obama's contraception coverage proposal is drawing fierce opposition because it would require religious institutions to give their employees access to insurance plans with birth control and abortion coverage.

Read Ms. Gillibrand's full e-mail below.

Subject: Not A Single Woman

Dear [Supporter],

I don't know about you but I was outraged yesterday when the House held a hearing on birth control, without including a single woman on the opening panel. Sometimes a picture really says it all.

Women must be heard. Speak out loud and clear. Right now.

Join One Million Strong for Women today – and please pass this along to your friends and family.

Click here to join One Million Strong for Women right now.

Thanks,

Kirsten