Rush Limbaugh loses another sponsor over Sandra Fluke remarks

LOS ANGELES, March 4 (TheWrap.com) - Online florist ProFlowers said Sunday it had suspended advertising on Rush Limbaugh's radio program because his comments about Georgetown University student Sandra Fluke "went beyond political discourse to a personal attack and do not reflect our values as a company."

ProFlowers posted the comment Sunday on its Facebook page.

That's the seventh advertiser to pull its ads from the conservative talk show host's program in the wake of comments he made about law student Fluke, who testified about birth control policy.

The six other advertisers that have pulled ads from his show are mortgage lender Quicken Loans, mattress retailers Sleep Train and Sleep Number, software maker Citrix Systems, online data backup service provider Carbonite and online legal document services company LegalZoom.

On Saturday, Limbaugh apologized to fluke on his web site.

"For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week," wrote Limbaugh. "In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke."

Fluke had appeared at a Democratic event on Capitol Hill at which she advocated for religion-affiliated institutions to cover contraception in health care plans. She said female students at Georgetown must pay for contraception out of pocket because the school won't cover it.

Over a three-day span, Limbaugh conducted a targeted onslaught against Fluke, calling her a "slut" and at one point suggesting she and other recipients of subsidized contraception provide videos of their sexual encounters as a kind of payback.

Limbaugh's words brought condemnation from Georgetown University's president, the National Organization for Women and Speaker of the House John Boehner, usually an ally of Limbaugh's.

President Obama joined the fray on Friday, placing a call to Fluke to thank her for her efforts. Obama's spokesman Jay Carney called Limbaugh's words "reprehensible and inappropriate."

In his online apology, Limbaugh went on to write:

"I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress ... Where do we draw the line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit? In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone's bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential level.

"My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices."


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