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  Reuters/Micah Walter
  Rush Limbaugh speaks at a forum hosted by The Heritage Foundation in Washington, June 23, 2006.

Syndicated talk show host Rush Limbaugh made controversial comments on Monday when he argued that there is currently a movement to normalize pedophilia, a process which he likened to the normalization of same-sex marriage.

"There is a movement on to normalize pedophilia, and I guarantee you your reaction to that is probably much the same as your reaction when you first heard about gay marriage. What has happened to gay marriage? It's become normal -- and in fact, with certain people in certain demographics it's the most important issue in terms of who they vote for," Limbaugh said on the Jan. 7 broadcast of the "The Rush Limbaugh Show."

"So don't pooh-pooh. There's a movement to normalize pedophilia. Don't pooh-pooh it. The people behind it are serious, and you know the left as well as I do. They glom onto something and they don't let go," Limbaugh added on the radio show.

Limbaugh's comments were made in reference to a recent article released by the Guardian entitled "Paedophilia: Bringing Dark Desires to Light," which addresses the issue of pedophilia in modern society as well as discusses research conducted on the brains of pedophiles.

"This is radical stuff. But there is a growing conviction, notably in Canada, that pedophilia should probably be classified as a distinct sexual orientation, like heterosexuality or homosexuality," writes Jon Henley for the Guardian regarding the growing debate on pedophilia classification as a sexual orientation.

"Two eminent researchers testified to that effect to a Canadian parliamentary commission last year, and the Harvard Mental Health Letter of July 2010 stated baldly that pedophilia 'is a sexual orientation' and therefore 'unlikely to change'," Henley added.

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Limbaugh's recent comments struck a nerve with those who support same-sex marriage, with critics saying on Twitter that the talk show host's comments were "outrageous" and "asinine."

Limbaugh is known to make controversial statements which oftentimes become a focal point of discussion relating to sensitive issues.

For example, in Feb. 2012, Limbaugh became the center of controversy over President Barack Obama's contraceptive mandate when he deemed Georgetown University Law Center student Sandra Fluke a "slut" and a "prostitute" for going "before a congressional committee and essentially [saying] that she must be paid to have sex." Limbaugh was rebuked by various individuals for his statements.