WATCH: Stephanie Miller Mocks GOP Downplay of 'War on Women'

Being a student of medieval history should come in handy for those trying to defend Republican attitudes toward women, liberal talk show host Stephanie Miller said in a heated exchange with former Hewlett-Packard CEO and U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina on CNN's State of the Union Sunday.

When host Candy Crowley questioned Fiorina on her efforts to bring more women into the Republican Party despite the party's stances on birth control and women's health care, Fiorina scoffed at the idea that the party is making a "war on women." "A lot of women, me included, are sick of the 'war on women,' and we saw it in spades on Monday after the Hobby Lobby case ... that somehow, you know, this is the long arm of business in the Republican Party reaching into the body of women," Fiorina said. "It's ridiculous."

"The 'war on women' is shameless, baseless propaganda, there's no fact to it, and it's worked because it's scared women to death," Fiorina concluded. "Enough. Enough."

That was apparently more than enough for Miller, who is lesbian, as when Crowley asked her if this was about a return to the culture wars, she responded directly to Fiorina. "I respect you very much as a woman for your accomplishments," Miller said. "I even read that you studied medieval history, which I think will come in handy with trying to defend the Republican war on women."

Turning to Crowley, Miller said, "Candy, every woman I know is furious about the Hobby Lobby decision [in which the Supreme Court ruled that companies can decline to cover contraception in employee health insurance]. Ninety-eight percent of Catholic women use birth control." Turning back to Fiorina, Miller continued, "This is not just a war against women, this is a war against science, Carly."

In the back-and-forth between Fiorina and Miller that ensured immediately afterward, Miller landed another well-placed jab. "How do you say you're [for] small government, and get the government involved in those personal decisions between a woman and her doctor?"

Watch the entire exchange below.