The first ever televised advertisement for abortion, due to be screened on Monday for sexual health charity Marie Stopes International will not be shown in Northern Ireland, where abortion is still illegal.
The commercial for unplanned pregnancy and abortion advisory services has sparked protests from pro-life campaigners who question its legality across the rest of the UK. It will be aired for the first time on Channel 4 at 10.10pm on 24th May 2010 as part of a new campaign by Marie Stopes International to "confront the taboo of abortion". But Channel 4 has advised the advert will not be shown in Northern Ireland, the only part of the UK not included in the 1967 Abortion Act.
A registered charity in the UK, Marie Stopes International is the biggest provider of sexual health services outside of the NHS, and in 2006 performed over 400,000 abortions worldwide.
"Neither Marie Stopes nor any similar organisation should be allowed to advertise the killing of unborn children"
While functioning as a charity Marie Stopes charges abortion clients between £440 and £1720 depending on their stage of pregnancy, up to 24 weeks. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children claims that it is finance driving Marie Stopes to advertise on television:
"Marie Stopes may claim to be a non-profit organisation, but they have a financial interest in drumming up demand for abortion," said Anthony Ozimic, SPUC communications manager.
"Marie Stopes has a cavalier attitude to obeying legal restrictions regarding abortion, and has been implicated in illegal abortions overseas. Neither Marie Stopes nor any similar organisation should be allowed to advertise the killing of unborn children.
"We are taking advice regarding the legality of the scheduled advertisement. Although Marie Stopes claims to be a charity helping women, its huge multi-national revenue means it can afford TV advertising, which is hugely expensive. This creates an unfair playing field, as pro-life groups simply cannot afford any such advertising."
"Last year alone we received 350,000 calls to our 24 hour helpline. Clearly there are hundreds of thousands of women who want and need sexual health information and advice, and access to services"
The decision to run a televised advertisement was taken by Marie Stopes after a YouGov survey revealed that 76% of UK adults “agree that commercials about unplanned pregnancy advice services should be allowed on TV within appropriate broadcasting times.”
In 2008, 215,975 abortions were performed in the UK, of which 195,296 were for women resident in England and Wales. The Marie Stopes advertisement commercial asks women "Are you late?" and directs women facing unplanned a 24hr advice helpline.
Dana Hovig, Marie Stopes International's CEO said:
"Last year alone we received 350,000 calls to our 24 hour helpline. Clearly there are hundreds of thousands of women who want and need sexual health information and advice, and access to services. Marie Stopes International provides such support in a safe, non-judgemental environment. We hope the new ‘Are you late?’ campaign will encourage people to talk about abortion more openly and honestly, and empower women to make confident, informed choices about their sexual health."
But SPUC says that last year 29,000 people signed a SPUC-organised paper petition to the prime minister against a proposal to allow abortion agencies to advertise on television and radio. It also claims that abortion is a criminal offence in English law and is calling on the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to force Ofcom to ban the advert, stating that it breaches the Communications Act 2003 which disallows the advertising of a criminal offence. Ozimic added that English law "prohibits the advertising of restricted (i.e. on prescription) medical procedures, such as abortion.
"The Broadcasting Act 1990 requires that advertising is not offensive or harmful. Abortion is offensive to the countless women damaged by abortion; and lethally harmful to the hundreds of unborn children aborted every day," he concluded.
