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That’s It? Tebow Ad Unmasks the Abortion Movement


That’s It? Tebow Ad Unmasks the Abortion Movement
In the days running up to last weekend’s Super Bowl, the media and blogosphere erupted in a frenzy of debate over an innocuous pro-life ad sponsored by Focus on the Family. The news was that 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mother Pam would be featured in a “Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life” spot, which, it was assumed, would tell the story of Tim, “the miracle baby” whose mother refused an abortion during a difficult pregnancy. Missionaries in the Philippines, Pam and Bob Tebow refused to choose the doctor-advised abortion option, although Pam had been taking heavy medication following a bout with dysentery. 
Without seeing the ad – and with very little information – groups like Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and NOW (National Organization for Women) responded with a fury that awakened mainstream America. Expecting the ad to convey an anti-abortion message, they demanded CBS remove it from airing.  A protest letter, penned by the Women’s Media Center, suggested the ad be refused because it was sponsored by Focus on the Family. "By offering one of the most coveted advertising spots of the year to an anti-equality, anti-choice, homophobic organization, CBS is aligning itself with a political stance that will damage its reputation, alienate viewers, and discourage consumers from supporting its shows and advertisers," the letter said. Jemhu Greene, president of the group, said, "An ad that uses sports to divide rather than to unite has no place in the biggest national sports event of the year -- an event designed to bring Americans together."
The characters of both Tim and Pam were maligned and subjected to malicious gossip. A charge by feminist Gloria Allred that Pam Tebow was a liar grew wings of its own as it spread throughout talk radio and the Internet. Allred based her charge on the fact that abortion was illegal in the strongly Catholic nation of the Philippines. An ESPN columnist warned Tim not to be manipulated by the far right. “Tebow is not an innocent, and he does not appear to be deluded.  He may agree with everything Focus on the Family represents.  But he's still a young man, still breathing the fumes of a home-schooled background with two parents who believe in the inerrancy of every single word of the Bible.  Now, they could be right and I could be wrong on the Bible thing – although it's going to be hard to convince me the whole belly-of-the-whale thing wasn't allegory – but he could be setting himself up to be associated with causes and beliefs that may not be his own.  All the qualities that make him admirable – earnestness, devotion, a willingness to expound on his beliefs – make him vulnerable.”
Both CBS and Focus on the Family assured audiences that the ad had been approved and was suitable for broadcast. Yet the nation was drawn into this debate, as the life issue made its way onto business and sports pages, talk radio, and Facebook pages. Over 250,000 “fans” joined one Facebook group supporting the commercial.   Surveys found support for CBS to run the commercial outnumbering its opposition. 
On the Friday before the game, host Stuart Shepherd talked with Gary Schneeberger, Vice President of Media Relations for Focus on the Family, in a Focus Action Update. They shared the surprising turn of events as an inspiring, uplifting commercial promoting life and family rolled out under God’s marketing plan. 
Because of the false controversy, thousands more viewers were attuned to a commercial, which, when it ran, seemed anti-climactic. The two 30-second spots aired early in the bowl game were what they claimed to be – non-offensive, pro-family spots showing light humor, banter, and genuine love between a young man and the woman who chose to give him birth. 
The reaction of most was to ask where the controversy was. Ironically, opponents opened a forum for the discussion of abortion and life that wouldn’t have materialized without the controversy – a forum filled with thousands of priceless conversations and personal stories intensifying in the media, online and around the water cooler. Pam Tebow made a choice and most Americans support her in it – no matter what their views on abortion are. The politicizing of the ad has led to countless souls questioning and debating the issue of life in open discourse.
Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life Action, commented, “This ad was funny, light-hearted, and had a positive message for everyone. The hate-filled reaction from pro-abortion groups reveals a radical abortion-at-any-cost agenda that is far out of step with the American people. Congratulations to Focus on the Family for inspiring us all in the face of extremism.”
Immediately following the Super Bowl, the voices of the opposition were silenced, but within days, the women’s groups found a new angle of attack. Opponents claimed that Tim teasingly tackling his mother at the end of one ad glorified violence against women and could lead to domestic violence. 
Read more about the Tebow family and watch the ads at www.family.org.
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