I & A protests against abortion advertising

At noon on Saturday 11th February 2012, the British Committee of Advertising Practice, the Committee of Advertising Practice and the Advertising Standards Agency in High Holborn were hit by a protest. This protest was against what these organisations had decided was acceptable to advertise over mass media to the British public – on 21st January it had been decided that private abortion providers would be allowed to advertise their terrible services to all people, this an inevitable result of the legalisation of abortion which occurred forty-five years earlier.

We began by unfurling a banner which had been made for the event; “No to Abortion Advertising!” it proclaimed. It was thought that, as people all too easily ignore those holding rosaries alone that a more visible sign to tell passers-by what was being demonstrated against would be useful. Indeed it was – from the moment the banner was set up, people on the other side of the road would stop, turn their heads, even take photographs; cars would slow down and do the same and as such it’s to believed that a lot of people were alerted to the mostly unknown fact that, come the 30th April, abortion shall be on the airwaves.

The rosary was the best place to go from there, so the Joyful Mysteries were said with more people joining us throughout - the building had not been easy to find, and most of the tube lines were down or heavily delayed, but through the course of the two-hour vigil, just under a dozen people turned up. After which the ladies present decided that it would be helpful to sing, so we sang the Ave Maris Stella and a few other hymns. We continued through the Sorrowful Mysteries, most appropriate to something which causes as much suffering as abortion, singing the last decade and the Salve – something which we repeated on the last mystery of the Glorious Mysteries as well. There were gaps in between these rosaries for a theremos-flask of tea, general chatter and interaction with the public. It should be noted that singing hymns, while giving praises to God, most certainly also gained the attention of the public – God willing the dulcet tones of the ladies present disposed people favourably to the message we put forward, it certainly seemed that way.

After we had run out of Mysteries, we said some litanies, including the Litany of the Sacred Heart in reparation for the offence of abortion against It. Then, with ten minutes to go, we decided to sing another decade of the Rosary for good luck – choosing the third Joyful Mystery, celebrating the perfect birth of Our Divine Saviour.

All in all, it was a very successful vigil and demonstration, against what is a terrible evil to allow. However, we should not stop satisfied here, rather it is essential that all those who read this write to their MPs asking them to pressure for these advertisements to be blocked. Pray too, because the remedy to this evil brought about Satan is the grace given through prayer by God.

Q & A on Abortion adverts

The government should use its powers to stop TV advertising by commercial abortion centres. The question-and-answer briefing below will give you the information you need to help make this happen.

Q: What has happened?
A: This week the two bodies which draft the advertising code of practice made changes to allow   "commercial  post-conception  advice services” - in reality, abortion clinics which earn income from performing abortions - to advertise on television and radio, in print and elsewhere. Pro-abortion organisations have welcomed the change; pro-life groups, some columnists and many ordinary people have objected to it. The
change will come into effect on 30 April.

Q: Who exactly has made this decision?
A: Two committees, the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) and the Committee of  Advertising  Practice  (CA P ) . These  are committees of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Q: Will abortion centres have to say that they perform abortion or have a financial interest in abortion?
A: No. BCAP considered such a requirement but rejected the need for it.

Q: If pro-life organisations are allowed to advertise, whatʼs wrong  with allowing abortion centres to advertise?
A: Commercial abortion providers can afford broadcast advertising; whereas groups which provide objective information about abortion and its impact on women's health will be unlikely to afford to advertise. Most pro-life advice services charge nothing. Abortionists can just add the costs of advertising into their charges. Thus there will be a disproportionate opportunity for abortion providers to advance their cause. CAP have said
that any organisation giving post-conception pregnancy advice must first provide “suitable credentials” before being allowed to advertise. There is a real danger that the credentials of prolife organisations will not be regarded as “suitable” because they refuse to offer abortion or refer women for abortion.

Q: Whatʼs wrong with abortion centres being allowed to promote what they have to offer?
A: Abortion centres mislead women, by telling them that their unborn babies are just 'products of   'conception', and that abortion is not killing but simply ending a pregnancy. Allowing commercial abortion centres to advertise on television immediately treats abortion as if it was a service or a desirable product.

Q: What should we think about the ASA, BCAP and CAP in the light of this decision?
A: The advertising industry is displaying a bias to support   the abort ion operators,  who  have ideological and commercial interests in promoting abortion. The ASA already demonstrated a bias against pro-life groups when it attempted to ban advertisements which stated correctly that morning-after pills may cause early abortions. As an industry-based group, it is free to reflect the views of the broadcasters and publishers who
want lucrative advertising deals. It is a great shame that it has not acted more impartially.

Q: What should happen now?
A: Jeremy Hunt MP, the cabinet minister with responsibility for media, is reportedly “very unhappy” about the decision but apparently lacks the resolve to act. However, Ed Vaizey MP, his deputy, told Parliament on 2 June 2010 that Mr Hunt has the power to order Ofcom, the statutory regulator, to order TV and radio stations not to broadcast certain advertisements. In contrast, ASA, BCAP and CAP are not statutory bodies.
They are not answerable democratically or judicially to anyone, nor do they have power to impose any penalties or hold anyone to account. MPs should remind Mr Hunt of his powers in relation to Ofcom, and urge him to use those powers to rein-in ASA, BCAP and CAP, which have acted irresponsibly.

Q: To whom should I write?
A: Please write to your Member of Parliament (MP), asking him/her to write to Mr Hunt on your
behalf, reminding Mr Hunt of his powers in relation to Ofcom, and urging Mr Hunt to use those powers to block all advertisements by abortion centres. You can write to your MP at the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. If youʼre not sure of your  MPʼs name,   please  visit   h t t p : / /www.spuc.org.uk/mps (where you can also send an electronic message to your MP). Please copy or forward any replies you receive from MPs to SPUCʼs political department, either at SPUC HQ or by email to political@spuc.org.uk