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CBS Decision to Air Super Bowl Ad By Focus On the Family Stirs Controversy, Battle Between Abortion Rights Groups

01/27/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
The decision by CBS to run an ad by the Christian Fundamentalist group Focus on the Family has sparked outrage among many abortion rights advocates, and some rather feeble attempts to try and justify it by CBS and even anti-choice groups, including the “star” of the ad, former football pro Tim Tebow. The ad itself is the latest attempt by anti-choice groups to try and strike down the feeling that abortion should be legal in cases where the mother’s health is at risk. Many anti-choice groups such as Focus on the Family feel that language is used to simply bypass their belief that abortion should be illegal in all circumstances.

Tim Tebow was born to Bob and Pam Tebow. When they were missionaries in the Philippines, Pam Tebow suffered a serious infection for a pathogenic amoeba. The drugs used to treat it were considered to be taratogenic in nature, and they counseled Mrs Tebow to have an abortion because of the risk to her and her fetus. She chose not to, and Tim Tebow was born. Unfortunately, there are many cases where mothers are lost due to health complications, and the majority of warning from doctors regarding the risks regarding pregnancy are often based upon the law of averages. A drug may cause birth defects in a high proportion of the clinical cases, but not in all of them. For every woman who chooses to not have an abortion despite health concerns, there are a large number who die from complications because of the health issues that they face. An article on the Daily Beast by Dr. Willie Parker detailed his painful choice to begin performing abortions largely due to the health problems that the women who came to him asking for one faced.

Focus on the Family, which has been facing financial strain of late, had to pay a considerable amount of money in order to buy the air time for this ad. Reaction to CBS’s decision to air it has been fairly strong from the pro-choice groups, but rather weak from anti-choice groups. CBS has had a long standing policy not to air controversial ads during the Super Bowl. This has always meant no political ads, no ads regarding marriage equality or abortion. In allowing this ad to air, CBS has stated only “Our standards and practices process continues to adhere to a policy that ensures all ads on all sides of an issue are appropriate for air.” There are no counter ads listed as being aired. Marjorie Dennenfelster of the Susan B. Anthony List stated “Women can be trusted with information and they certainly don’t need to be protected from the idea that if they have a crisis pregnancy that they can choose life.

What are they protecting people from? It is just so counter to the whole mission which is to provide women choices. This is just the one choice they can’t abide.” Of course, the anti-choice, anti-LGBT group Focus on the Family does not want any choice at all and believes that any and all abortions should be illegal.

Tim Tebow had this to say on the issue “Some people won’t agree with it, you know, but I think they can at least respect that I stand up for what I believe. I’m just standing for something. That’s the reason why I’m here because my mom is a very courageous woman.”

Erin Matsen of the National Organization for Women has called on CBS to reject the ad stating “The abortion debate has no place in the Super Bowl. I organize abortion rights rallies all the time and I recognize how inappropriate it would be for me to sit in the stands with signs at the Super Bowl.” She is not alone in calling for this ad to be pulled. Jehmu Greene, President of Women’s Media Center, also called on CBS to not air the ad stating that this sporting event has always been used to bring people together.

The bigger problem is that this ad gives voice to a decision which should be between a woman and her doctor based upon the doctor’s advice and her beliefs. This is what choice is about. Unfortunately, Focus on the Family has never been about choice, and most anti-choice groups try to mask their agenda behind the notion that they are giving women information about abortion. When it often comes to those who want to reduce the number of abortions via means other than a ban, such as education and contraception, those people are usually hounded out of the pro-life movement.

Politico