This year, the most talked-about Super Bowl ad won’t likely feature dancing lizards, a steaming hot Cindy Crawford, or a talking baby. Nope, judging by early reaction, it will involve Florida Gators football star Tim Tebow, his mother, and possibly a pro-life message.
The spot — brought to CBS by the Christian organization Focus on the Family — is expected to share the story behind Tebow’s birth: Apparently, his mother refused to have an abortion after being advised by doctors to do so while she was pregnant with Tebow. The ad has caused an uproar among pro-choice advocates, who claim the Super Bowl — the most-watched event of the year — is an inappropriate place to invite political debate. Not to mention put a large percentage of its viewing public in danger.
“This ad uses one story to subtly dictate morality to the American public, and encourages women to disregard medical advice, potentially putting their lives at risk,” Women’s Media Center said in a statement. But that’s not their only gripe: the group claims that CBS has “a well-documented history” of keeping controversial ads from the likes of PETA, MoveOn.org, and United Church of Christ off the air. (NBC, on the other hand, rejected a pro-life spot Catholic group Fidelis hoped to run during last year’s Super Bowl, as Women’s Media Center pointed out.) Pro-choice organizations are so enraged by the ad, they’ve even launched a campaign, demanding CBS pull the ad.
CBS, however, seems to be sticking to their guns. In a statement, the network said, “We have for some time moderated our approach to advocacy submissions after it became apparent that our stance did not reflect public sentiment or industry norms on the issue. In fact, most media outlets have accepted advocacy ads for some time. At CBS, our standards and practices process continues to adhere to a process that ensures all ads — on all sides of an issue — are appropriate for air. We will continue to consider responsibly produced ads from all groups for the few remaining spots in Super Bowl XLIV.” And though this might be the first time the network has aired an advocacy ad in such a high-profile slot, CBS does have a history airing spots from other advocacy groups, like Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection, during normal programming.
One party left baffled by the controversy? Focus on the Family, the group who created the ad. “We’re not surprised that folks who disagree with some of the things that Focus on the Family stands for would launch a protest, and that’s absolutely the way it should be in America,” Gary Schneeberger of Focus on the Family told EW. “But we’re a little surprised about some of the things being said about an ad that no one has seen. Obviously, we’ve seen the ad. CBS has seen and approved the ad. And there’s nothing political or controversial about it.” (As for Tebow, the quarterback has told the press: “Some people won’t agree with it…But i stand up for what I believe, and I’m never shy about that.”)
Schneeberger won’t give details about what exactly is in the “refreshing and very inspiring” spot, since “if we were to give details about the specifics of it, we think it might dilute the power of the ad when it hits the air.” But if the situation were reversed, and a pro-choice ad were to be scheduled to run during the Super Bowl, would Focus on the Family be protesting its airing? “It’s hard to speculate,” he says. “It would depend upon the details.”
So now it’s time for you to weigh in, PopWatchers. Do you think the ad should be pulled?
Photo credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Let’s not turn the comment section into a forum to bash the other side’s opinion. I bet the ad will turn out to be not as bad as everyone thinks.
Say WHAAAAAAAAAAAATTTT!!!!
I love Tebow and his purity!
Actually…this has little to do with which side you are on. I’m not exactly pro-abortion, but I don’t want to see this ad on television. A subject like this requires education, not a 30 second blurb. As we can see by the firey and sometimes hateful posts on these boards, I think that this ad will only add more fuel to the hate and will do a disservice to the young women who will be affected by it. You all are so willing to bash on each other for having opposing views that it’s no wonder we’re such failures as a people.
NOBODY IS “PRO-ABORTION” ITS CALLED “PRO-CHOICE” AND IT HAS TO DO WITH GIVING PEOPLE RIGHTS OVER THEIR OWN BODIES.
Ted: Though you are right it is called pro-choice, I believe that it is a bad choice for the name. Yes it does have to do with giving people rights over their bodies, but does it mean legalizing murder?
Pro-Abortion should be the name assigned. For if you are for giving people the choice of murder without punishment, then you are for abortion. I know this makes me sound like a right-winged nut, but is abortion anything but murder? You are taking the life of not only another person, but an innocent being. Beyond the innocence of a child. Are you really for taking another’s life?
Standing for what is truly pro-choice is saying that there should be no punishment for the acts that we commit. From speeding to murder. No?
Being pro-abortion mean that you simply are for the act of abortion. Nothing more or less. Correct if I am wrong.
Ted…I don’t need a Webster’s definition of pro-choice especially when you(in particular) use the definition to lessen the severity of it.
Actually its called pro-CHOICE because someone may personally be against abortion yet still believe that it is a personal CHOICE and that others may CHOSE to believe differently and that i have no right to tell them what to believe.
The day a man can get pregnant, have his feet swell, his body rearranged and risk his life, on that day he will have a right to an opinion. Until then you should STFU.
It’s not murder if the child can’t survive outside the womb.
Well said. If only everyone was as thoughtful!
ok, adora, you win. and on the day straight people have gay sex, straight people can have the right to an opinion on gay marriage. or when someone finishes art school, then they can have an opinion on art. why don’t you get a fish and take it on a bike ride?
I love the argument that aborting a fetus in utero is murder… sure it’s the termination of a human in its early stages of development, but murder implies the death of a fully developed, functioning human. It’s a cheap ploy by overzealous people (either religious or moralistic) to have their belief put in terms they believe to be true. All societies in history, all of them had techniques for aborting an unwanted pregnancy, for thousands of years. That choice is of the person carrying that fetus and theirs alone. Not society, not religion and defiantly not a super bowl ad. Yuck for CBS for allowing such a cheap, bias ploy to be aired. F U C K all you pro-life nuts, cause really, we need more morons born in this world who share your pinhead point of view. The world, especially America is already way too overpopulated with too many religious sheep. Yes, please lets have more of your ilk on this earth to be pious,self righteous douche bags.
pro-choice = pro-abortion. Don’t try to spin it any other way. And pickle t-ts, there’s nothing “cheap” about human life. I don’t care if its fully developed. It’s a human life.
Being pro-choice doesn’t mean that you’re pro-murder. That’s absurd. It’s more about a philosophy on when “life” actually begins. And it is a person’s choice on what their personal philosophy is. I don’t understand all these people out there trying to force their beliefs on others and thinking that their beliefs are the only ones that are right. As for the commercial – This is America! We have a right to FREE SPEECH. Do I think the Super Bowl is the right place for this ad? Not really, but if they want to spend the money, that’s Focus on the Families decision.
**Family’s. Ugh…
Christopher Robin – If that’s the case, then the so-called “Pro-Life” folks should be called “Anti-Abortion.”
ktb – You are right, Anti-Abortion would be a better name for which.
by your logic…
Pro-life = Anti-choice
Good try, John Locke. Human nature being what it is, what follows will probably be 15 pages exactly that.
I HATE John Locke … on Lost!
DON’T TELL ME WHAT I CAN’T DO!!
hahahh
What a crock. Everyone knows Tebow wasn’t born, he sprung fully formed from the mind of God and was carried down to earth on the wings of a host of Angels all singing his eternal praise.
So true, so true. Sing it brother.
LMAO
Will Timmy be crying in the ad?
Tebow won’t cry. He has a long career as a CFL qb awaiting him. Oh…Nevermind…
Does Tebow say being sacked and fumbling the ball was in god’s hands? It wasn’t a missed blocking assignment but god’s will.
No, DN, it’s called he has perspective – It’s just a game.
GO GATORS !!!!!
Until this year when God changed his mind and left him to his concussion and Loss of the SEC to Alabama.
i heard he farts rainbows…
OMG, FUNNY!
its people like u from the left that this countrys in bad shape
Larry,
It’s people like you that makes me fear for our education system.
springs: It’s people like me in education that can confirm your fear. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Ha! Great comment!
Hilarious! Thank you!
I just want to watch football and stuff myself
Amen, Gretchen!
Ditto!! Commercials= beer break!
This Gretchen agrees – what does abortion have to do w/ football?!!?!
The 1st Amendment only applies to radical feminism?? Geez, I’m a woman and he has every right to do this/
The First Amendment has absolutely nothing to do with a publicly traded corporation’s decision to sell ad space to a paying advertiser.
Ditto! If you don’t like it, flip away and watch puppy bowl for 20 seconds…
No, it has everything to do with that corporation’s right to air what it chooses, regardless of whether it was paid for or not.
Except CBS doesn’t own the airspace. They are given it, in trust, from the federal government. I don’t really care about the ad, and I’m strongly pro-choice. I’ll even call myself pro-abortion. I am THAT ok with it. But CBS has a fiduciary duty to the airspace (that’s why they can’t invite back Janet Jackson, lol) and allowing an ad which could be construed as a “political” message during the Super Bowl which should really be about chips, beer, and sport (and, by the way, bringing up the topic of abortion during a family guy-centric event seems a little crass).
Wow Alice, well said.
“fiduciary duty to the airspace.” Who knew that we had obligations to air? This is the silliest argument I have yet to see. As though the pro-choice argument were so weak, the mention of a single adult that was not aborted would turn everyone’s opinions topsy-turvy. It’s true that there has been little serious discussion of abortion on TV but advertising has always been politically one-sided (have you ever seen an ad for Buy-Nothing Day on TV?). I don’t see what’s so outrageous about this.
I agree wholeheartedly. I think it will be a touching ad and I’m looking forward to it!
how touching will it be when the first woman who is influenced by this ad refuses to have an abortion in lieu of medical complications and dies.
Yeah but what if one of those babies turns out to win the Heisman Trophy? Did you ever think of that? The Heisman is awesome! Don’t abort your baby, and your baby will grow up to lead his college football team to two National Championships! Woo! Football!
Ted -since you’re pro-choice, wouldn’t you agree that the woman has the CHOICE to be influenced by a single ad on tv, and the CHOICE to ignore doctors’ advice, and the CHOICE to be uninformed about whatever condition is causing the problem? Don’t blame a theoretical death on one person who *gasp!* didn’t have an abortion.
Audra, that was the least compelling argument I have heard regarding this issue. Forunately, I have a CHOICE to think you’re an idiot, and I have a CHOICE to send your comment to my friends and make fun of you. And, that has nothing to do with my views regarding a woman’s right to choose.
CBS wouldn’t air an ad by a progressive church that accepts gays a few years back. So they are censoring.
Thank you! Hypocrisy much?
That’s because a church that condones sin is a hypocrite.
Do you even remember the argument you were trying to make? CBS shouldn’t allow the United Church of Christ the opportunity to air an ad because you think their stance is hypocritical? What do your religious beliefs have to do with someone else’s freedom of speech?
The article states that CBS clearly thought their previous ad-accepting standards were not “industry norm” and aligned themselves with other media outlets. Everyone is getting so upset without having actually seen the ad or knowing exactly what is in it.
Just because YOUR religious teaches homosexuality is a sin DOES NOT MAKE IT SO. Feel free to think you have the corner on the morality market, but if you want religious freedom, you’re going to have to remember to grant it to everyone else. Interpret the Bible however you’d like, but never forget others may interpret it differently. Open your mind (and your heart)…god speaks to everyone differently.
I’m a dude, and Tebow is a pussy
I support the right to choose, but my side is doing no one favors by demanding that the other side not be heard. As long as CBS doesn’t prevent a similarly positive ad from a pro-choice group.
guessing CBS won’t be out looking for a pro-choice ad to run in order to balance this one.
I agree – the superbowl has inspiring ‘backstories’ about the players all the time and this is one such story – a guy who against all odds not only lived without the medical complications they were concerned about but who is now in the superbowl – its inspiring to many different facets of people from all sides of the fence –
I think of a couple I spoke to recently while doing a shift at a children’s hospital.. They’ve been told their daughter for some unknown reason will never walk and the parents just have this strong belief that she will. I think ads like this can inspire parents to hold on and keep dreaming, hoping for better days.
Hahaha, Tim Tebow in the Super Bowl! That’ll be the day.
Yeah, if he’s not in the Super Bowl, why would they run a backstory on him?
okay well tells you how much I know about football. I do watch the superbowl with a bunch of friends but honestly (gasp) I do it for the company, the great superbowl food, and the commercials!!!
I still think its a cool story and doesn’t have to be a pro-life kind of political tone. She made a choice didn’t she? I just don’t get the controversy.
He probably has a better chance of getting there than you do…
LOL awesome
Tebow can’t even find the right channel to watch the Super Bowl. Besides, I’m sure he’ll be too busy reading his bible and hating gays with his new Focus on Family friends.
wtf is your problem? let him speak out for what he believes in. he’s gonna watch the Super Bowl. no duh. But you gotta say that reading the Bible is a bad thing? What the hell? If you don’t believe in God, then you’re dumb. Oh, and he can hate all the gays he wants.
WOAH wtf bob… calm down. bob was simply saying the bible thing because thats all tebow every rants about on espn. he thinks he’s the only football player with god on his side. if he decides to open his mouth about the bible after a football game than other people can talk about him reading the bible too. CHILL OUT.
Ya hear that, Bob? He can hate all the gays he wants! This is Amurrica! We should have the freedom to discriminate against other people’s freedoms!
right, he’s obviously dumb just because he doesn’t believe in some invisible, omnipresent being that can create the universe for giggles, who also happens to reside in heaven, a place which has not been seen by anything even though the earth’s atmosphere has been explored. well, according to you, the earth’s only been around, what’s the number you bible-jockeys use now? 10 years? i wouldn’t be surprised if you think bubonic plague came from gays and blacks; or that a football player is intelligent enough to read a book and change a channel. you want proof humans can evolve from apes? you got it right there.
Tebow IS NOT playing in the superbowl, and probably never will. No “back story” necessary.
Then air it when and if he is playing in the Super Bowl. My question is, if NOW comes out with a pro choice ad are they going to air it also? This is a political ad no matter how you spin it and it has no business being on during the Super Bowl, no political ad from anyone should be on during the Super Bowl. JMHO
True. Heartwarming story of hope and inspiration. I’m looking forward to the stories of the women who die (along with their fetuses) while hanging on to the dreams and hopes that the doctors are all wrong like Mrs. Tebow’s and they can just ignore sound medical advice because everything’s gonna be okay. Wake up. This is dangerous stuff.
Edit your last paragraph, Kate Ward. It should say if a “pro-choice” ad ran, would Focus on the Family protest?
Funny how things look when the shoe is on the other foot!
I think most Americans will be turned off by a political ad in the Superbowl, regardless of what side of the issue they are on.
It’s not his politics that turn me off. It’s his religious beliefs. Not everyone watching the Super Bowl is Christian.
Wait, so he doesn’t deserve a forum because he’s Christian? That goes way more directly towards the First Amendment than anything else I’ve heard said on this topic.
It’s not about what he “deserves.” It’s about me as a consumer not wanting to watch his proselytizing and registering my complaint about that. And reprising with my checkbook (i.e. not consuming their product).
Checkbook? From whom are you buying? Focus on the Family or CBS? Change the channel. ALSO, funny how a woman exercised her choice FOR life, but Pro-CHOICE doesn’t like her choice. Hmmmm…
Like most conservatives, you aren’t a deep thinker. By checkbook, I mean I won’t watch (i.e. view their ads.)
…by “checkbook” you mean what you watch? Are you retarded?
Crispy…..I wouldn’t be criticizing another poster for their lack of “deep thinking” when your argument is so fundamentally flawed.
Crispy – no not everyone watching the superbowl is christian but not everyone watching the superbowl eats doritos but that does not mean they did not watch the dorito commercials…also not everyone is beer drinkers however the majority of the commercials are buddweiser…WHAT ABOUT THE NON-DRINKERS what will they watch???
My argument is completely sound. CBS charges rates for Super Bowl ads based on the number of people watching. If there are fewer people watching, they won’t be able to charge as much. I’m sorry if you’re too stupid to comprehend basic economics.
No no, the Super Bowl is aired as a charity, and the number of people who watch the ads aren’t actually important, crispy – didn’t you read the memo that aliens beamed into all of our brains yesterday? It makes perfect sense as long as you never think about it.
Crispy.. your argument doesn’t make any sense. Based on what you said CBS, should only air commercials with products/messages that everyone agrees with – which is an impossibility. Personally I hate seeing the ads with half naked women selling one product or another. When those come on I choose to use that time to get another beer, use the restroom, or just ignore it. I suggest that when Tim Tebow’s ad airs, you do the same thing.
Uh, no, that’s not what I said at all. Religious advertisements promoting public policy decisions have no business running during the Super Bowl, particularly when CBS has rejected similar policy ads in the past. It’s not at all like product ads that you may not like, and anyone who doesn’t understand the difference between policy and product advertising is a complete moron.
Ben, you shouldn’t say ‘retarded.’ It is crazy offensive in this context.
exactly. the super bowl is about football and having fun watching the ads, not having political views thrown in your face.
I think the ads should be pulled for the following reasons: 1) when I watch the SuperBowl, I don’t want to think about abortion, 2) CBS has in the past refused to air “controversial” ads, 3) it might be bad for their business because it’ll probably annoy a lot of people, and 4) Focus on the Family is a terrible organization that they should avoid. I’m sure the ad can’t be that bad if CBS is agreeing to air it in the first place, but I still think it’s a bad idea.
on what grounds are you saying that focus on the family is a terrible organization?
How about on the grounds of their absolutely irresponsible misuse of every scientific study they can get their hands on? Like when they invented the idea of “prehomosexuality”, a way to “diagnose” children who may “turn gay” in the future? They’re led by the crackpot James Dobson, who’s spent the last several decades giving good, real Christians a bad name by using his platform to spread misinformation and hatred.
On acres of grounds! I ought to know – I grew up in a fundie church and Dobson was force-fed to me on a daily basis! They preach extreme intolerance towards anyone that doesn’t fit their description of “Christian,” they’re misogynist and homophobic, and they think all other religions worship Satan. They also want to turn the US into a conservative Christian theocracy and attempt to do so by embroiling themselves in politics, which should remove their tax-exempt status.
Thank you CBS for keeping this ad in the superbowl!!!
Focus on the Family is a hate group. So clearly the ad is going to be lollipops and daisies like they claim it is.
I know a bit about them, I’m not claiming to be an expert and I don’t agree with every message they speak but come on, a hate group? That’s a bit harsh. They seem like a compassionate bunch who have opinions that may differ with others but they don’t preach hate. At least I’ve never seen a hate ad or anything like that.
I’d recommend looking into what a nutcase Dr. James Dobson is, and how virulently anti-gay the organization is, along with their ties to Dominionism. They are a dangerous bunch, and I don’t say that lightly. If they had their way, they would turn the US into a theocracy.
James Dobson’s fight to take away the rights of millions of minority Americans certainly qualifies as “hate group.” He is the 21st century equivalent of a KKK Grand Wizard.
juniper – believe it or not this country was built on a belief in GOD! Read the constitution…
No. It most certainly was not.
“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.” – GEORGE WASHINGTON
That’s funny, I read the Constitution, and you know what it says RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING?
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion”
That’s weird. I mean, if the Constitution is your evidence that America was built on a belief in the Christian God (or any God), then why would they put that there, right in the front? I mean, in this long, incredibly important document, it’s the first thing they wanted everyone to read. It must be a typo or something.
*Sigh* Do we really want to play they quotes game?
“Gouverneur Morris had often told me that General Washington believed no more of that system (Christianity) than did he himself.” Thomas Jefferson, 1880
“Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the Common Law.” Thomas Jefferson, 1814
“Lighthouses are more helpful than churches.” Ben Franklin
“”All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.” Thomas Paine
“”This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it.” John Adams
*sigh* Can we at least quote statements that are verifiable like our founding literature, the Declaration of Independence for example, “…And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of DIVINE PROVIDENCE, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
For the sake of those in Rio Linda, Divine Providence is a reference to God. God, in some form is mentioned at least four times in the declaration of independence. So get over it. We ARE a nation under God. He may not be Jesus Christ but he is mentioned in our founding documents.
The argument that the founding fathers were not necessarily Christian is probably sound based on the quotes I’ve read but then I have not verified the authenticity of those quotes. But from the statement quoted above it is abundantly clear that they believed in something greater then themselves. Which is also what the majority of Americans believe in. Athiests represent maybe 15 percent of our population. The rest believe in some kind of Deity.
Who cares! Most of the Founding Fathers also believed in owning slaves. Regardless, all of this is irrelevant to the issue at hand, which is that Focus on the Family is a hate group that wants to indoctrinate ALL Americans into their belief system. They are no different than the Taliban.
I care!!!! Don’t try to minimize my position. Nobody else really matters. Besides, I don’t see what the issue is. CBS has a right as a private enterprise to decide who they want to do business with and who they don’t. They also have the right to decide what is appropriate and inappropriate content. If NOW or planned parenthood want to make an issue of it let them produce their own ad and pay the 700 million they need to buy the spot right after Tebow and the deal will be settled. If CBS refuses to air it I’m sure ABC, NBC, MSNBC, CNBC or Chicken Noodle News (CNN) will always welcome them with open arms. Focus on the family has the right to spend their 700 million dollars however the hell they choose. Why do you care? Because it’s infringing on your space? You also have the right to hit the gd mute button and get up at that moment and go get another beer. Nobody is forcing you to watch it. That is the beautiful thing about the right to free speech. It doesn’t impel anybody to listen and it does not guarantee an audience.
And as a matter of point, the issue is not whether or not Focus on the Family is a hate group. The issue is whether or not CBS has the right to censor the content they put on the air.
Please, Sam. If Osama bin Laden was paying CBS to run a pro-Islam ad during the Super Bowl, I’m sure you’d be freaking out about that. It’s the EXACT same thing.
No. You’re wrong. If CBS chose to air an ad that Osama Bin Laden put out I would probably either not watch the super bowl or would hit the mute button when that commercial came on or change the channel.
Or the other thing I would do is make sure I ate a lot of burritos with beans during the day so I could work up a good case of intestinal gas. Then when the commercial came on I’d calmly stand up, undo my pants and let them drop to my ankles. Stand with my back to the screen and assume the position so that when his ugly mug came on he would be looking right at my crusty white ass and then I would let loose the most foul smelling fart in the history of mankind. Of course then I would have to clean my screen but the sentiment would be properly expressed.
LOL! Well, I don’t want to soil my flat-screen, so I just won’t be watching the Super Bowl like you suggested. Football is for Neanderthals anyways. Call me when the World Cup starts.
Outright hate, maybe not, but definitely nothing I call pro family or moral. They’re certainly anti-homosexual to the point of being de facto hateful, and certainly anti anybody who dares to believe anyone’s sexuality should be allowed to stray from Judeo-Christian purity right up until a lifetime of enforced fidelity between a man and a woman without divorce.
If Peta is too controversial a group for CBS to allow (and they’re a bunch of nutbags too in my book), then FoTF is too controversial as well.
Ahh, crispy, how I’ve missed your angry rants. While you are technically correct that this country was not actually Christian principles, more like religious rhetoric that was designed to refute the idea of divine right of monarchy, I have to wonder if you know that the word “respecting” in the 1st amendment just means “about”. Technically Congress can “respect” religious establishments if they so choose. Also, last time I checked, CBS was not Congress. I love these little debates you always get dragged into. It’s a good thing God has someone as interested as you are in standing up to him.
Crispy, maybe you better do your homework regarding Focus on the Family before you make accusations like this. Let me know when you’re done where you find “hate” in their organization!
I suggest you read “American Fascists” by Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Chris Hedges, and then get back to us about the hate in Focus on the Family.
Mike, I’ve been following news about Focus on the Family for several years now. My guess is you don’t even know what religious affiliation they belong to. They are a hate group just like Fred Phelps’ Westboro Baptist Church is a hate group.
Yup! They believe in “praying away the gay” and Dobson has said that the best way to ensure that your son doesn’t turn out gay is to have him shower with his naked father. Ewww… That’s just the tip of the pen!s… I mean, iceberg.
P.S. Crispy, I love you.
Focus on the family is not a hate group. Just because we believe differently from you, doesn’t mean we hate anyone. You people tolerate everyone and everything but Christianity. They have the right to run any ad they want as long as they can afford to pay the price.
YOU PEOPLE? who are you talking about? people that accept others people’s differences? cause Focus on the Family sure doesn’t. I’m Christian and I completely disagree with what Focus on the Family stands for.
“You people tolerate everyone and everything except Christianity”
Even if that were true, couldn’t you also say that Focus on the Family tolerates nobody and nothing BESIDES Christianity? I mean, even if your incredibly bad logic were true, which is worse?
Wow… I tolerate everyone until they start jamming their beliefs down my throat via public policy. Then I’ll come out swinging, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a Christian or a Muslim or a Zoroastrian.
If they had not declined to air other opinion/advocacy spots previously, I’d be OK with it. My only issue is that it looks like selective enforcement. As long as CBS doesn’t decline ads from more liberal advocacy groups in the future, this one is fine by me.
He has the first amendment right to say what he wants, this isn’t really all that controversial, just a back story behind it. I thought the whole point of Pro Choice was that a woman had the CHOICE, so if they are pointing out that his mom used that right why is that bad?
“I thought the whole point of Pro Choice was that a woman had the CHOICE”
As someone who IS Pro-Choice, let met just say…Exactly.
Actually I am Pro Life, I am just pointing out the hypocrisy in it. People who want people to have a choice, don’t want a woman explaining why she CHOSE life.
One could argue that an event like the Super Bowl, when people are gathered with their families, may well be an appropriate time. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no wrong way to spark communication between parents and kids when it comes to tough issues.
Because it is pro-life people like Focus on the Family who want to remove that choice.
Well, if you’re aborting a female baby then you taking away her right to choose to live. Good thing you won’t have to explain to her later.
…So what is it if you’re aborting a male baby? Is it different somehow or did you just forget to actually think about what you were typing?
To reiterate what was previously said: Focus on the Family is dedicated to depriving women of that choice. So they can’t possibly be somehow “celebrating” her choice when their main goal is to eliminate such choices in the first place.
Women have a “choice”! Every woman in this country knows where babies come from! There’s your choice. If you chose to have sex then you chose the possible consequences/blessings of that act.
To say that “if you don’t want to have a baby, then don’t have sex” is naive at best. What about victims of rape and incest? Apart from that, it is a fundamental right to decide when you want to become a mother. I’m in a stable, loving relationship and I’m plenty old enough, but I don’t want a kid right now. Should all people just remain celibate until they’re ready to procreate? So unrealistic.
aanaw – WTF! How the hell did this just become solely the woman’s responibility? I’ll grant that studies show it’s usually the woman who takes responsibility for birth control … with good reason…they’re the ones who can get pregnant, but as long as people like you continue to think in terms like that “Every woman in this country knows where babies come from” you’re doing an awful lot to propogate the idea that children are the responsibility of women, and women alone. MORE BIRTH CONTROL! FEWER ABORTIONS!
They may have the right to do this – but it would all depend on how it’s presented. If it does have any sense of coercion and/or one-sided advisement — then maybe it shouldn’t. However, overall — the Super Bowl is definitely NOT the forum for this – anything that can spark debate in a room full of people is just off-limits for this Sunday night. Who wants to ignite that fire? Yes, I think we should invite conversation about these topics as much as possible… but this isn’t the time. Anyways.. I could care less about Tim Tebow anymore – maybe if he actually made it into the NFL and played well, yes well, then he earns this time.
Good for CBS.
how do you miss such an error in the last paragraph?