by US Staff (Thu Jan 28, 2010)
Tim Tebow is a hunky college football player who, I am told, may be a
professional football player next year. Mr. Tebow, along with his mom, is
starring in one of the very, very expensive commercial spots during this year's
Superbowl. For those of you outside the U.S., the Superbowl is the American
football championship game and the most viewed sporting event of the year.
Thirty second commercial spots cost millions of dollars each.
So, why am I telling you all this? Well, Mr. Tebow is starring in an
anti-abortion advert paid for by a Christian organization called Focus on
Family (Tebow is very Christian). It is reported that in the spot, which is
very secretive till it airs, it is explained by either Mr. Tebow or his mother,
that she was advised to have an abortion when she was pregnant with her son for
health reasons. She refused, went ahead with the pregnancy and the result was
her son Tim, one of the most prolific players in college football history.
The National Organization for Women has been leading a protest
movement to convince CBS, the network that carries the Superbowl and thus the
ad, not to run the Tebow ‘right to life' ad. Their rationale is that it is
‘offensive and extraordinarily demeaning' to women.
Regardless of your position on abortion, it would seem to me that
NOW has a few problems. First, the other ads aired during the Superbowl are far
more demeaning, like ‘drink Budweiser and all women become promiscuous little
sluts.' Second, there is the whole free speech thing to contend with. And,
third, if they have a different point of view, they should go to their
constituents, raise some money and put on an ad that advocates their point of
view.
