Anti-Choice Ad to Air During the Superbowl- Editorial
Focus on the Family will air a 30 second anti-choice ad that features University of Florida football star Tim Tebow, during the popular sports event, the Superbowl.
All headline news has stated the ad will be about Tebow’s mother choice not to have an abortion when she was pregnant with him. This went against her doctor’s advice, based on her complicated pregnancy.
The New York Times has written that selling “issue ads” during this sports event is unprecedented. Several women’s groups have been outspoken about their opposition to this ad. Most notably, the Center for Reproductive Rights has expressed its opposition to this ad, sanctioned by CBS.
How much will the ad cost? Well, approximately $2.8 million. The New York Daily News maintains that the money came from “very generous and committed friends.” For years now Focus on the Family has been under financial constraints. It has laid off staff for a total of six times since 2005, and recently laid off almost 8 percent of the staff in September of 2009.
Click here to comment on this article.Founder James Dobson announced that he will be leaving the organization to start a new organization and a new radio show, called “James Dobson on the Family.” He has been hosting a daily radio show with a loyalty of 1.5 million listeners.
I am not one of the listeners and so cannot comment on the contents of his radio show.
The controversy surrounding this ad has reached mainstream TV news stations. From watching these newscasts, I learned that Tebow wears bible verses on his football uniform. The man certainly likes to draw attention, and appearing in an anti-choice ad will bring even more attention to him.
There is something about all this that just screams “inappropriate.” These ads have no place being aired during a football game. What is wrong with CBS? Was the money just too good to be ignored?
The Center for Reproductive Rights points out that Tebow’s mother was in the Philippines when her doctor suggested ending the pregnancy, due to her serious condition. In the same paragraph the Center says that it is too bad that Philippine women do not have the same option or reproductive choice as Ms. Tebow.
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I live in Brazil, where the laws are similar to those in the Philippines. Those who perform abortions can receive up to 4 years in prison. Sadly, abortions still do happen here. Quite possibly the law discouraging abortion influenced Tim's mother to decide against it and Tim was born. Had she lived in the USA, Tim may never have been born.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAXCek6lAxI
Hello,
I don't know what went through the mind of Tim's mother. I have lived in Brazil (was actually born in Rio), and know that it is possible to obtain a safe abortion there, provided by a doctor, if you can afford it. If you cannot afford this, then you put your health at risk of course. Abortions may be illegal there but that has never stopped women from having them, either in Brazil or anywhere else in the world. In order to prevent injuries and sometimes death in so called back alley abortions, it is imperative that abortion procedures be made legal, everywhere.
Anna
The SuperBowl is a very inappropriate place to advertise this issue. This is a Women's issue. I firmly believe that the day a man can get pregnant is the day he has a say. This is not something that should be splashed across the television during a sporting event.It is, has been and always should be a private issue for the individual woman.
I totally agree with you.
Anna
I also think it's a very inappropriate forum (for either side) although the amount of money spent is up to them as long as the money was garnered honesty and legally.
I am happy Dobson is leaving FOTF and equally happy that Jim Daly is taking over. He is far more interested in lowering abortions through options and education and doesn't spend time on platforms yelling about what's said in the bible. This country has many religions and many atheists and agnostics who are just as wonderful and compassionate as any Christian.
Daly wants to change the focus of FOTF to an organization that tries "a kinder, gentler way to approach this topic and see if we can make abortion rare without, as pro-lifers, abandoning our desire to see it eliminated altogether. That would be a great starting point."
Daly will bring both "sides" together in a way that Dobson never could. Daly uses compassion along with realism, yet doesn't abandon his own beliefs. It's at least a start in the right direction.
Compassion and empathy Versus hate-spewing and a refusal to even sit down and talk things out? I know which one I'd pick.
While we are all Ga Ga over Pam Tebow, we should also thank Eunice Durden for giving birth to another Heisman Trophy winner, O.J. Simpson. She made home-made braces for his rickets that he wore till age five. O.J. Simpson is currently serving his nine sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock Nevada. Mothers are Great!
Anonymous -
I appreciate you joining in the discussion!
However, no-one knows in pregnancy how their baby will "turn out" as an adult and mothers are not to blame for wayward sons. Sometimes their undue influence does impact their children very badly (Sante Kimes, anyone?) but grown people cannot blame mama for their murderous ways. That's a choice.
I'm not sure what the "home made braces for his rickets" reference means in terms of how OJ turned out but no-one aborts because they feel their unborn child is evil, nor do they give life because they think their baby will be a famous sportsman.
At least not to my knowledge!
This so-called "controversy" has been interesting to watch. I happen to live in a city with a company that has made a practice for several years now of producing controversial ads that demean women in order to push the limits with the network on whether or not the ads will air during the Super Bowl, with the REAL objective being to create publicity around the ads that drives exponential publicity for the company. I suspect more of the same kind of thinking in this case. It's odd to find content about a woman's right to manage her own life and body, as well as content that deliberately ridicules a woman's body, being generated for a sports show aimed at a primarily male audience that's a lot more interested in football, chips and beer than in any topic dealing with the welfare or dignity of women. Bizarre!
First Anna let me praise your wonderful article which has stirred great discussion on this topic. Each year broadcast television has been loosing market share to other media and each year CBS has had an increasingly difficult time selling out the Super Bowl TV time. I think CBS's recent policy to change to allow these types of ads is a strong indicator they need all the help they can in selling this high prices -over rated inventory. Any good marketer knows it's a waste of money to reach large masses if the audience is not the correct target market. I cannot think of a more mismatched target market for an anti abortion ad than the super bowl audience/demographics.
Go to www.womensmediacenter.com and sign a petition against this ad. They are running a very effective campaign about this outrage!