Fluke Takes on O'Reilly over Condom Quip

Sandra Fluke, the woman who became the national face of birth control advocacy earlier this year, has hit out at Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly for suggesting that condoms rather than balloons will rain down from the Democratic National Convention roof after her speech.

“It’s clearly offensive to see a bunch of men sitting around laughing about dropping condoms on women,” the Georgetown University law graduate told MSNBC’s “The Ed Show," on Monday.

“But I try to just not pay attention to it, look past it, and focus on the policies that I care about.”

Fluke, 31, found herself at the center of a national furor in February after speaking before a Democratic House committee on the need for contraceptives to be available in health insurance plans.

Radio host Rush Limbaugh spent several days deriding her, calling her a “slut” and a “prostitute” and suggesting that if her sexual activity was subsidized she had a duty to post videos of it on the web. He later apologized.

Since her appearance in the spotlight, Fluke has become a vocal supporter of President Barack Obama, appearing with him at a campaign event in Colorado and she is due to speak at the DNC in Charlotte on Thursday.

And it is that appearance that got O’Reilly guessing. His co-panelists James Rosen and John Roberts laughed along as O’Reilly said last week, “I’m just wondering when Sandra Fluke speaks at the Democratic convention, what they’re going to drop from the ceiling,” clearly implying he meant condoms,  without saying the word.