Even if you live in a football-free zone, by now you've heard about Focus on the Family's $2.5 million Super Bowl ad buy for a 30-second spot about how the mother of football star Tim Tebow, facing a possibly deadly medical condition during her pregnancy, rejected her doctor's advice to have an abortion.
Pro-choice groups are calling on CBS to pull the ad because Focus on the Family is an "extremist group" and CBS's decision to air an anti-choice ad was "outrageous."
The United Church of Christ has entered the fray, not because it wants CBS to pull the ad, but to highlight how slippery the network's position is. In 2004, CBS rejected an ad -- not intended for the Super Bowl, but for general broadcast -- which celebrated the denomination's welcoming of LGBT people in its churches. At the time, CBS feebly deemed the ad "too controversial," and claimed it had a policy against political advocacy advertising. NBC also rejected the ad, but several other broadcast and cable outlets ran it.
According to J. Bennett Guess of the UCC, even if CBS has now reversed that policy, the denomination doesn't have $2.5 million for a Super Bowl ad because it's devoting its financial efforts to Haiti relief. (Focus on the Family reportedly had a few generous donors who are bankrolling the Tebow ad.) Guess objects to the network's "arbitrary" policy because it perpetuates a "common misunderstanding in this country that all religious people hold a monolithic view on certain issues, such as reproductive choice or same-gender marriage equality, and this is not the case."
If the denomination were to approach CBS again, Guess wonders,"will our distinctive religious viewpoint be heard?"
Tags: abortion, focus on the family, super bowl, tim tebow
Focus on the Family exposes itself for what it is with its advertisement against women. Let them run the ad.
CBS ought to play the UCC ad for free--as atonement for its greed support of Focus if it runs the Focus ad.
The former Florida quarterback, who's known for writing Bible verses under his eyes, has been receiving criticism for starring in a planned Super Bowl commercial that critics say conveys an anti-abortion message.
Ultimate Acai Max
Hmmm
How about if CBS devotes that air time to a Hope for Haiti or Red Cross spot.
I'd say that would be a non-controversial way for them to wriggle out of this obviously difficult situation. Otherwise my guess is that boycotts will be mounted, corporate heads will eventually roll, etc.
Just sayin'...
Running a commercial against reproductive freedom without running the UCC ad for religious diversity would be outrageous. CBS does not have to run commercials that offend the public. Certainly, another fascist Christian screed against women offends fair-mined people. Focus on the Family is a totalitarian organization.
A lot has happened since CBS rejected the UCC ad in 2004. Over-the-air networks continue to lose viewers to cable, satellite and internet. Now that The Court has opened the floodgates for political ads, issue advertising is no longer an issue. It's a new revenue stream.
Also, please don't confuse anti-abortion ads or organizations as "Pro-Life." Authentic pro-life works for peace instead of war, palliative care instead of euthanasia, adoption instead of abortion, and restorative justice instead of capital punishment.
"Focus on the Family" is only about 25% there.
CBS needs to a amends.
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