UK: Controversy over MSI’s television ad

An advertisement by an abortion advisory organisation is to be screened for the first time on UK television.

The campaign for unplanned pregnancy and abortion advice at Marie Stopes clinics will raise awareness of sexual health, the organisation said.

The 30-second film to be shown on Channel 4 will first air at 2210 BST on 24 May and run until the end of June, BBC News Online reports.

The advertisement asks ‘Are you late?’ and points those facing an unplanned pregnancy to Marie Stopes International’s 24-hour helpline. The organisation says callers ‘can receive non-judgemental support, advice and services’.

Marie Stopes chief executive Dana Hovig said:

‘Last year alone we received 350,000 calls to our 24-hour helpline. Clearly there are hundreds of thousands of women who want and need sexual health information and advice and access to services. We hope the new “Are you late?” campaign will encourage people to talk about their choices, including abortion, more openly and honestly, and empower women to reach confident, informed decisions about their sexual health.’

Michaela Aston, a spokeswoman for anti-abortion charity Life, said:

‘To allow abortion providers to advertise on TV, as though they were no different from car companies or detergent manufacturers, is grotesque. By suggesting that abortion is yet another consumer choice, it trivialises human life and completely contravenes the spirit of the 1967 Abortion Act, which was supposed to allow for a small number of legal abortions in a limited number of hard cases, but has been twisted and distorted to allow for mass abortion on demand.’

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said it was taking advice on the legality of the advertisement. It called on the culture secretary to make regulator Ofcom impose restrictions on such broadcasts.

The first advert for Marie Stopes, which is a not-for-profit organisation, will be shown during the Million Pound Drop Live game show hosted by Davina McCall. Marie Stopes said about 80% of the abortions it provided in 2009 were funded by the NHS.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said non-commercial providers of post-conception advice services had long been permitted to run advertisements.

An ASA spokesman said:

‘Any ad that airs has to comply with all the relevant rules in the Advertising Code, which aims to ensure that ads are not misleading and socially responsible. Ads must adhere to rules that are designed to protect children and vulnerable groups and prevent ads from causing serious or widespread offence. TV ads are checked against the rules before they are broadcast. If viewers have concerns about the content or scheduling of the ad, the ASA is able to consider complaints once the ad has aired.’

Ann Furedi, Chief Executive of BPAS, said:

‘We welcome the television advertising of pregnancy advisory services. These stigmatised and marginalised services can be crucially important for the women that need them at a stressful time in their lives. It’s nice to see a greater awareness of these services being brought into the mainstream.’

Abortion advice organisation Marie Stopes to air TV ad. BBC News Online, 20 May 2010.

Also read:

UK: Fewer restrictions on TV condom ads. Abortion Review, 24 March 2010