Tim Tebow’s commercial hasn’t aired yet, but it’s already creating a lot of controversy. And when it comes to discussion about the issue of abortion, that means the ad is already doing its job.
(As I write this, I’ve counted 1,645 articles on the subject on Google News.)
Tebow, the University of Florida’s starting quarterback last season, will appear in a 30 second Super Bowl spot purchased by the conservative Christian organization Focus on the Family. Reportedly, the ad features both Tebow and his mother telling the story about how she declined to abort Tim in 1987 despite pregnancy complications. He would eventually win the Heisman Award in 2007. The message appears to be: “don’t get an abortion because every life is important and you never know what great things that child could one day accomplish if you give him/her a chance.”
Of course, advocacy groups like the National Organization for Women and the Feminist Majority Foundation are protesting the ad (presumably because the commercial infers there should only be one solution for pregnant women).
But is the commercial anti-choice; or merely pro-life? Despite what polarizing voices on both sides would like you to think, the two concepts are not mutually exclusive.
Whether or not the commercial is ultimately pulled by CBS, it has pretty much already achieved its intended purpose. Everyone is discussing abortion issues and Tebow just got a little more mind share heading into the 2010 NFL draft.
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