Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Friday defended his remarks about women's libidos that caused backlash from his opponents recently. Huckabee explained that although various media outlets portrayed his comments as if he himself believed women "cannot control their libido or reproductive system without the help of the government," he pointed out that if people looked at the full context of what he said, he was in fact saying that Democrats were treating women in such a way.

Explaining what he meant in his original comments Huckabee said on Fox News' Cavuto: "My point was, not that I believe this, but I said the Democrats act as if women are only concerned about these reproductive issues."

The former Gov. said on Cavuto that he would not take back his libido comments.

"It's a wholesome thing. God gave us sexual drive. It's not something dirty and vulgar," the former governor said. It's a wonderful gift from God, in the context of a relationship between a man and woman who have committed to each other as life partners. That's a good thing; there is nothing unholy or untoward about that. We shouldn't be fearful to talk about it."

Huckabee was criticized last month by the liberal media, after he criticized Democrats for treating women as if they were "helpless" and in need of government handouts. He insisted that Republicans were not waging a war on women, but rather wanted to empower women and not treat them as if they were "victims of their gender."

"Democrats want to insult the women of America by making them believe that they are helpless without 'Uncle Sugar' coming in and for providing for them a prescription each month for birth control because they cannot control their libido or reproductive system without the help of the government - then so be it," Huckabee said at the luncheon address to the Republican National Committee's winter meeting in Washington.

However, various liberal media outlets and blogs immediately attacked Huckabee's comments, insisting that he had said the opposite. That immediately pushed Huckabee back on the defensive, and he was forced to defend his statement shortly after by telling Fox News, "In fact everything I was accused of saying, I was actually saying the polar opposite. This was an affirmation of the intelligence, of the capability of women."

He said that his language was taken out of context and he was not arguing against women having access to birth control.

Huckabee affirmed that he would not let his speech be filtered: "I refuse to let the Democrats control my lexicon. I'm sorry but I'm not going live in a world where everything I say has to be run through the filter of people who aren't going to like anything I say. What's the point of that?"