Should abortion services be advertised on television?

Would you be for/against abortion services being advertised on television?

If commercials for Levitra and "choose life" can show on TV, then i don't see why not.

They should have that right, since pro-life organizations do. But personally, I wouldn't like it. I think it would cause more young people to be careless with birth control when they see the ads all the time. Too many already have that, "pregnancy wouldn't ever happen to me" attitude. Adding to it 30 second reminders that even if the "impossible" happens, it can be taken care of, isn't a good thing.

I don't think it can be prohibited by law but I also don't think broadcasters can be forced to carry the ad. They would likely have to weigh the benefits of ad revenue against the potential threat of boycotts that could very likely arise.

I also remember the good old days when there were some boundaries. Recently I saw an ad on TV where several women were speaking to the camera about the benefits of a particular brand of toilet paper, or "bathroom tissue" as it's referred to in polite company. The “bottom” line was that this particular brand was sturdy enough to get a person clean “down there” without tearing so you got shit on your hand while wiping your ass. I shit you not. I’d hate to be the one writing copy for an abortion ad.

Advertise services to murder on TV. Gee, there's a thought. I guess hitmen should be able to buy TV time next.

Forgiveness Man wrote:Advertise services to murder on TV. Gee, there's a thought. I guess hitmen should be able to buy TV time next.

If hit men were legal, I guess they could.

I'm against abortion. I think it's morally wrong. If I had my way abortion would not be legal, women would never face an unwanted pregnancy, rape wouldn't exist, babies would never have birth defects that would cause them to live a life filled with pain if they were born and condoms would never break.

I think that they have the legal right to advertise, but I wouldn't want to see it.

The moral relativist in me sees the reason that abortion is legal (and I have compassion for those who are faced with a choice that I would never want to make- esp in the case of terrible birth defects that would cause them to live a life of pain and suffering if born), but the libertarian in me thinks that it should be banned- since we don't know for sure if a fetus has a moral right to life, we should err on the side of life so as not to infringe upon that right if it exists.

thepossiblepolice wrote:

Forgiveness Man wrote:Advertise services to murder on TV. Gee, there's a thought. I guess hitmen should be able to buy TV time next.

If hit men were legal, I guess they could.

Don't stop there. Make it go both ways. Order hits via a commercial too.

Forgiveness Man wrote:

thepossiblepolice wrote:

If hit men were legal, I guess they could.

Don't stop there. Make it go both ways. Order hits via a commercial too.

ooooh, on demand hit men! That would for sure raise them some extra money.

I saw a commercial for a movie the other day that is now available on demand, and then my cable menu popped up and said "watch this movie now?" or something like that. I was like "WHAT?" because I'd never seen that before.

I wonder if pretty soon all commercials will be that way, push a button on your remote and here comes your pizza or whatever.

thepossiblepolice wrote:

Forgiveness Man wrote:

Don't stop there. Make it go both ways. Order hits via a commercial too.

ooooh, on demand hit men! That would for sure raise them some extra money.

I saw a commercial for a movie the other day that is now available on demand, and then my cable menu popped up and said "watch this movie now?" or something like that. I was like "WHAT?" because I'd never seen that before.

I wonder if pretty soon all commercials will be that way, push a button on your remote and here comes your pizza or whatever.

Maybe! I guess the hitman would work by getting you in contact with the person ordering the hit so you two can exchange specifics.

I think while we're at it, we'll just have the Westboro Baptist Church be able to buy time on all your favorite programs. What could be better than watching American Idol and getting a nice speech about how evil (insert their enemy of the day) is.

Forgiveness Man wrote:

thepossiblepolice wrote:


ooooh, on demand hit men! That would for sure raise them some extra money.

I saw a commercial for a movie the other day that is now available on demand, and then my cable menu popped up and said "watch this movie now?" or something like that. I was like "WHAT?" because I'd never seen that before.

I wonder if pretty soon all commercials will be that way, push a button on your remote and here comes your pizza or whatever.

Maybe! I guess the hitman would work by getting you in contact with the person ordering the hit so you two can exchange specifics.

I think while we're at it, we'll just have the Westburo Baptist Church be able to buy time on all your favorite programs. What could be better than watching American Idol and getting a nice speech about how evil (insert their enemy of the day) is.

Score one for free speech, woot.

^^^^Oh indeed!

I can only imagine how these abortion commercials would go. "Did your condom break and now you're expecting a visit from the stork? Well come to your local Planned Parenthood office to get that inconvenient son of a gun ripped out of you pieces at a time! And don't miss out on our deal of the week! We're offering half off on sterilization when you purchase an abortion, but only if you come in before Saturday!"

Will Abortion commercials have to advertise all the side effects like drugs and other procedures do? Maybe show some genuine abortion footage on the air so people can feel safer seeing that it's all good. I can imagine the surge in sales they'd get if they did that!

So long as these services are publicly listed in things like yellow pages and on things like the Internet, TV ad time really isn't necessary.

Forgiveness Man wrote:^^^^Oh indeed!

I can only imagine how these abortion commercials would go. "Did your condom break and now you're expecting a visit from the stork? Well come to your local Planned Parenthood office to get that inconvenient son of a gun ripped out of you pieces at a time! And don't miss out on our deal of the week! We're offering half off on sterilization when you purchase an abortion, but only if you come in before Saturday!"

Will Abortion commercials have to advertise all the side effects like drugs and other procedures do? Maybe show some genuine abortion footage on the air so people can feel safer seeing that it's all good. I can imagine the surge in sales they'd get if they did that!

That's really awful.

I think they would have to gloss over anything like that the way they do for tampons and toilet paper. I would not put it past them to mention how the tissues are donated or sold for testing and stem cell research though.


Chris, ARE there going to be commercials for abortions? Or were you just thinking about it because PP has been in the news so much or something.

You know, when I was in school for Dental Assisting, we had a module on ethics and we were taught that it was unethical for dentists to advertise.

^^^^What part is awful? Wasn't exactly clear.

Of course they'd try to pretty it up. Wouldn't be surprised if they actually showed them merely giving a baby back to a stork to ignore what really goes on altogether. My point was that they'd never be honest on TV. Of course, they're already able to advertise at my college health fair. I had to resist the urge to go up to them and tell them what I thought of them!

It might be unethical but I doubt Planned Parenthood would ever be concerned with ethics.

I'd be indifferent. Legally, they have every right to advertise but I can see it being a little distasteful in doing so. Any woman who wants an abortion can and will find the right information on how to get one. I don't think it should be advertised like a Gillette commercial or anything, but perhaps a quick name or number I wouldn't mind them doing.

I don't know how I would feel about that , I know I have always resented TV ads for feminine products , until very recently there were none for male products. Of course now we have seek medical help for a 4 hour erection, but the men in my family think that would be fun. You have never seen a TV ad for jock itch have you?

Chris wrote:Would you be for/against abortion services being advertised on television?

I would be for it. Abortion services are like any other business and should have the right to advertise.

Suzi wrote:I know I have always resented TV ads for feminine products

Why? They're advertising a tampon, not meth.

I support Planned Parenthood (who can put its patrons in contacts with clinics who will perform abortions) advertising on television, but I'm not totally sure about abortion clinics themselves advertising on television. I'm also against the "Choose Life" campaign being seen on TV. Some things I don't feel need media extended influence.

^^^^PP are abortion clinics. They ain't no middle man.

I don't see why Choose Life shouldn't be on TV. I mean we have PSA's for tolerance but we wouldn't give bigots equal time. Therefore I got no issues with Choose Life being given time that isn't granted to slaughterhouses, excuse me, Planned Parenthood.