Tebow Ad: No Debate on Abortion
The uproar over Tim Tebow's Super Bowl ad with his mother, who is expected to talk about how she ignored medical advice to have an abortion when she had complications during her pregnancy, shows the underlying hypocrisy in the so-called abortion "debate": There can be no debate, no conversation at all.
A simple ad with the theme "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life" has now been deemed by the National Organization for Women "extraordinarily offensive and demeaning." The Women's Media Center says an ad that uses sports to "divide rather than unite has no place in the biggest national sports event of the year."
The groups are demanding that CBS pull the ad, which is paid for by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family. CBS is defending its decision and says it has changed its mind about airing advocacy ads, which it had rejected in the past.
In the ad, Pam Tebow is expected to talk about how she decided to ignore doctors' advice to abort her fifth child when she suffered complications during a 1987 mission trip to the Philippines. Tim Tebow, a beloved figure in Florida and around the country, told reporters this week he was happy to do the ad, because "that's the reason I'm here, because my mom was a very courageous woman."
In my circles, Tebow, of course, is best known for crying on the sidelines during the SEC Championship Game, when my Alabama Crimson Tide whipped up on his Florida Gators. But the 2007 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback also is well known for wearing, in every football game, eye black that's inscribed with Bible verse citations. The Bible verses on his eye black are the most often searched item on Google after a Florida game.
Tebow's an outspoken Christian, and he's continually irking critics who don't like seeing him take his "religious faith onto the playing field" and who've slammed his "far-right theology" and "exclusionary" religious beliefs.
But talking about your religious beliefs in public apparently is nothing compared to talking about abortion.
According to the women's rights groups, Pam Tebow shouldn't be able to talk about her choice. They won't even allow the discussion. And that shows just how much the issue of abortion has been taken out of public discourse. Because of the Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade, you can't even talk about it. That point of view is not allowed to exist.
There are any number of reasons why that's stunning—to silence discussion of society's most contentious issue, one that produces the most deeply held beliefs and passions. Just to put it in context, though, consider this: It's not okay to "Celebrate Life," but apparently no one seems to have a problem with ads that glorify death.
I watch a lot of football, usually with my four children, who are under the ages of 13. You want me to talk about "extraordinarily offensive?" Extraordinarily offensive?
The promos that networks air during games—or even during shows like Amazing Race—for their upcoming crime shows are "extraordinarily offensive." (Amazing Race is my family's favorite, but you can see the same standards—or lack of standards—on every network.)
Week after week, in the middle of the so-called "family hours," I am covering up my kids faces and singing "don't watch, don't watch" as some promotional advertisement for an upcoming crime show airs picturing a dead woman, her face smashed on the ground, with a knife in her back. Or an ashen corpse with bulging eyeballs and blood trickling out of its skull. And remember, these ads are airing not at 10 p.m., when the shows air, but at 5 p.m. or at 8:15 p.m.
The networks are rife with these grotesquely violent ads for their crime series (and also for gory video games), and you may not even notice them—until you start watching television with kids under 13.
One of my daughters has started to chant, when these bloody ads appear, "that's just a whole lot of makeup. Just makeup. Just make up."
But there's no outrage over these ads that glorify death and violence, that depict women brutalized by crazed psychopaths on the run. No uproar. That's reserved, instead, for ads that "Celebrate Life," while images of guts and gore continue to seep into our living rooms without protest.
Here's the great irony of all this: Whether or not the "Celebrate Life" ad ever sees the light of day, the women's groups that made it an issue have played right into Focus on the Family's focus. They've gotten the abortion debate out in the public.
© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. A simple ad with the theme "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life" has now been deemed by the National Organization for Women "extraordinarily offensive and demeaning." The Women's Media Center says an ad that uses sports to "divide rather than unite has no place in the biggest national sports event of the year."
The groups are demanding that CBS pull the ad, which is paid for by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family. CBS is defending its decision and says it has changed its mind about airing advocacy ads, which it had rejected in the past.
In the ad, Pam Tebow is expected to talk about how she decided to ignore doctors' advice to abort her fifth child when she suffered complications during a 1987 mission trip to the Philippines. Tim Tebow, a beloved figure in Florida and around the country, told reporters this week he was happy to do the ad, because "that's the reason I'm here, because my mom was a very courageous woman."
In my circles, Tebow, of course, is best known for crying on the sidelines during the SEC Championship Game, when my Alabama Crimson Tide whipped up on his Florida Gators. But the 2007 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback also is well known for wearing, in every football game, eye black that's inscribed with Bible verse citations. The Bible verses on his eye black are the most often searched item on Google after a Florida game.
Tebow's an outspoken Christian, and he's continually irking critics who don't like seeing him take his "religious faith onto the playing field" and who've slammed his "far-right theology" and "exclusionary" religious beliefs.
But talking about your religious beliefs in public apparently is nothing compared to talking about abortion.
According to the women's rights groups, Pam Tebow shouldn't be able to talk about her choice. They won't even allow the discussion. And that shows just how much the issue of abortion has been taken out of public discourse. Because of the Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade, you can't even talk about it. That point of view is not allowed to exist.
There are any number of reasons why that's stunning—to silence discussion of society's most contentious issue, one that produces the most deeply held beliefs and passions. Just to put it in context, though, consider this: It's not okay to "Celebrate Life," but apparently no one seems to have a problem with ads that glorify death.
I watch a lot of football, usually with my four children, who are under the ages of 13. You want me to talk about "extraordinarily offensive?" Extraordinarily offensive?
The promos that networks air during games—or even during shows like Amazing Race—for their upcoming crime shows are "extraordinarily offensive." (Amazing Race is my family's favorite, but you can see the same standards—or lack of standards—on every network.)
Week after week, in the middle of the so-called "family hours," I am covering up my kids faces and singing "don't watch, don't watch" as some promotional advertisement for an upcoming crime show airs picturing a dead woman, her face smashed on the ground, with a knife in her back. Or an ashen corpse with bulging eyeballs and blood trickling out of its skull. And remember, these ads are airing not at 10 p.m., when the shows air, but at 5 p.m. or at 8:15 p.m.
The networks are rife with these grotesquely violent ads for their crime series (and also for gory video games), and you may not even notice them—until you start watching television with kids under 13.
One of my daughters has started to chant, when these bloody ads appear, "that's just a whole lot of makeup. Just makeup. Just make up."
But there's no outrage over these ads that glorify death and violence, that depict women brutalized by crazed psychopaths on the run. No uproar. That's reserved, instead, for ads that "Celebrate Life," while images of guts and gore continue to seep into our living rooms without protest.
Here's the great irony of all this: Whether or not the "Celebrate Life" ad ever sees the light of day, the women's groups that made it an issue have played right into Focus on the Family's focus. They've gotten the abortion debate out in the public.
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I have been to Planned Parenthood, even though I would never consider ending a life. I did not know where else to go! Their views are pushed upon you and what else is a scared young woman who has no one to turn to supposed to do? Thank you for allowing women the opportunity to explore ALL of their options while being loved upon by women who know what they are facing.
Babies are not a punishment!!! They are a gift from God and if you don't want that gift at least allow another family to share in your gift.
CBS changed its policy and it has every right to do so. However, I am sure there are a number of shareholders that will be dropping their stock as soon as this 'ad' airs. It isn't really wise to associate one's company with this type of 'advertising' no matter which side of the issue the commercial falls. The problem is only compounded when it is well known that Tebow's pastor agrees with Pat Robertson's opinions on Haiti.
There was no logical business reason for CBS to take this on. There is no shortage of corporations willing to pay for a television spot during the Superbowl. As a result, this is a clear ideological move on the part of the policy makers at CBS. The backlash will be spectacular. If you have CBS stock and plan to hold onto it, be ready to short your stock.
As long as I'm on the topic, for a long time I've thought that NOW and her descendants are stuck in the "free sex - no consequences" paradigm of the 60s and in many ways have refused to grow up. For those of us who have, these groups are no longer relevant or wanted. It has become more and more obvious that their leadership (and followers) only support the women who fall in lock-step with their views.
CBS and the Superbowl are entitled to their choices and opinions as well, but when deciding issuses such as ads to approve or disapprove a double standard confuses and will alter opinions of their viewers - not a good place to be when the viewers are your business. No win situation CBS - step away and leave the debate alone is MY opinion, for what it's worth.