"Every day is a choice, and you must deal with it for as long as you live. But you must choose."

[lagilman]

For years, CBS has declined to run ads of a progressive or liberal stripe, including United Church of Christ promoting gay rights, from PETA, and from Moveon.org. That's their choice, fine.

This year? They have agreed to run an ad during the Superbowl from Focus on Family, a stridently anti-choice group, featuring football player Tim Tebow and his mother.*

They have refused calls to reconsider this. Meanwhile, Focus on the Family is touting Ms. Tebow’s right to choose - while trying to deny that same right of choice to other women.

I have already informed CBS that, if they air this ad in direct contradiction to their oft-stated policy, I would not be watching any show that airs on CBS for the rest of 2010 (yes, incl. Criminal Minds. Damn it.). I urge you to call in and protest as well -- not to protest the airing of this particular ad, but to force them to face the consequences of corporate hypocrisy.

and, in my own show of protest, I give you this:

*according to some comments I've read, Ms. Tebow actually HAD no choice, since abortion for any reason including to save the life of the mother has been illegal in the Philippines (where he was born) since the 1930's. So this ad is a false argument from the beginning.

Comments

[jslinder.livejournal.com]

TPM has a good writeup on this issue:

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/02/cbs-super-bowl-ad-controversy.php?ref=fbfp

Some key points, my emphasis:

The Daily Beast is reporting that CBS worked on the ad with Focus on the Family for months.

CBS fueled the controversy by subsequently rejecting a Super Bowl ad submitted by Mancrunch.com, a dating site for men on the "down-low."

[(Anonymous)]

This sort of reminds me of my Reagan-era protest. Officers were expected to give generously (from our magnificent compensation, typically equivalent to a Catholic schoolteacher's) to the Combined Federal Campaign. Fortunately, we were allowed to designate charities... so I always split mine between NARAL and Planned Parenthood. It was amusing to watch the steam coming out of the wing commander's ears when, after he questioned me about those choices, I pointed out that Planned Parenthood was the only place within walking distance of the barracks that my 400 18-year-old bags of hormones could get assistance with birth control.

-- Jaws