Is the first abortion TV advert a step too far?

With the first TV advert selling abortion set to air on Channel 4 next week, pro-life groups are demanding a ban...



The first abortion commercial on British television is to be broadcast next week, by the Marie Stopes organisation, which receives an estimated £30million a year from the NHS to carry out abortions.

It is proving controversial before it has even aired, with pro-life groups demanding a ban and angry campaigners claiming that Marie Stopes is taking advantage of a loophole in advertising regulations.

Clinics which make a profit from carrying out abortions are banned from advertising their services on TV. However, a loophole means that Marie Stopes, a 'not for profit organisation', is not subject to the same restrictions.

Critics also warned Channel 4, which has agreed to broadcast the ad, that it should not take sides in the debate. ‘Channel 4, as a publicly-funded broadcaster, needs to reassure people that it is not going to take sides on one of the most controversial issues in British culture,' said Simon Calvert, of The Christian Institute.

Do you think that the advert is a natural step in a society where one in three women will have an abortion in their lifetime? Do you feel that it's important to provide women with information like this so that they know who they can call to reach people who will be non-judgmental and provide support?

Or do you support the concerns of family groups and church leaders and think that the commercial should be banned until there is proper public debate on whether it should be allowed? What do you feel about the possibility of young children seeing it?

Join the debate below...

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