Abortion for profit advertising - Yes/No?

[9-10ths_Penguin]

yes, but abortion is a sensitive issue that offends a lot of people.

So is religion, but you see churches all over with signs out front and everything. Some even advertise on billboards and TV.

How about the recent debate on the Christian school that barred homosexuals.

A private business.

Doubt you would all be in agreement if it advertised with homophobic pictures, expressions and biblical quotes.

double standard here?

How so? What sort of ads do you think these clinics are going to be running?

 

[nnmartin]

Again, private business. A Christian PRIVATE school has the right to bar homosexual behavior within their schools. But, THINK about it for a moment. Is it realistic that a homosexual would choose PRIVATE, CONSERVATIVE, CHRISTIAN education to begin with, when they have the choice of FREE, PUBLIC education?

I don't have a double standard at all. Private business has the right to advertise.

I don't waste time worrying over billboards or advertising that I disagree with. Who the hell cares?

I agree with you here but there was an uproar on that thread by certain people saying that the school was wrong.

No doubt some of the same posters, who at the same time are in favour of advertising private abortion for profit on the tv.

Why can a Christian school not bar homosexuals yet another business can promote baby killing?

 

[nnmartin]

How so? What sort of ads do you think these clinics are going to be running?

Ones that bring in customers.

They may appear subtle, discreet and tactful at first but the ads will just be insidious mechanisms for making profit out of abortion.

 

[illykitty]

Abortion to me is a very difficult subject, as I really do not like the act but believe one should be free to make the decision. Advertising it, however, I find it disgusting! There's plenty of info you can get from your GP, there's no need to go out and advertise it. I feel there's going to be a LOT of controversy on this.

"The best clinic to get rid of your foetus, for the special price of £150, includes in the package personal care...".

 

[nnmartin]

Is that quote for real?

that does sound very tactless if so.

if it's not real then no doubt that sort of advertising will occur soon enough.


so just to restate - advertising for this sort of thing via the mainstream is hardly in the interest of taste.

 

[illykitty]

No it isn't, I made it up to put emphasis on how annoyed I am at this situation.

 

[Kathryn]

Seems to me that the anti-abortion crowd has set the bar as to what should be and should not be acceptable in advertising.

but now that abortions for profit can be advertised, I bet they change their tune...

One can always count on the double standards of those who think they have some sort of moral high ground.

There are extremists on both sides.

I am against abortion for convenience or used as birth control, but you won't find me on a street corner with huge signs with pictures of aborted fetuses.

And as for 'setting the bar as to what should be and should not be acceptable in advertising' - just how, exactly can 'the anti abortion crowd' do that?

Clinics will advertise as they like, and people will protest as they like - at least, that's how it should be in a country which claims to respect freedom of speech.

 

[Kathryn]

So I take it "Come on down to the Fetus Dumpster" would be tasteless...

Seriously who expects advertisers to tackle such a serious issue with anything but the utmost tact?

This is a sincere question? Do you watch TV?

 

[Sunstone]

I don't see anything wrong with allowing abortion advertising -- so long as it's truthful.

 

[Drolefille]

This is a sincere question? Do you watch TV?

Bigelow v. Commonwealth of Virginia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's legal in the United States and we don't have this issue.

I suspect that the UK's advertising laws are different as they do not have the same freedom of speech laws we do. They require a lot more censorship than the US does. I sincerely doubt that it's going to be a free-for-all


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16663800

Both pro-life and groups which offer abortion advice say this ruling will not see a surge of advertisements on television because more abortions are carried out by groups on behalf of the NHS.
In 2010, 96% of abortions were funded by the NHS, 51% of which were carried out by independent clinics on behalf of the service.

 

[Kathryn]

Bigelow v. Commonwealth of Virginia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's legal in the United States and we don't have this issue.

I suspect that the UK's advertising laws are different as they do not have the same freedom of speech laws we do. They require a lot more censorship than the US does. I sincerely doubt that it's going to be a free-for-all


BBC News - Abortion clinics cleared for TV by advertising body

I'm sorry - not sure what your point was. I am not contesting anything or trying to impose my idea of tasteful advertising on anyone.

 

[Drolefille]

I'm sorry - not sure what your point was. I am not contesting anything or trying to impose my idea of tasteful advertising on anyone.

You facepalmed at the idea of advertisers handling the matter with tact when despite its legality in the US there's no indication of an issue.

Similarly within the UK among pro-life and the providers affected there's no real concern about the "Abortion Specials today! Come on down!" worries.

I was responding to your expressed opinion as the most recent one in the thread.

 

[Kathryn]

You facepalmed at the idea of advertisers handling the matter with tact when despite its legality in the US there's no indication of an issue.

Similarly within the UK among pro-life and the providers affected there's no real concern about the "Abortion Specials today! Come on down!" worries.

I was responding to your expressed opinion as the most recent one in the thread.

I was facepalming the idea that tactless, stupid local advertising IN GENERAL isn't common. It's common as dirt - why should I expect abortion clinics to have a higher standard than other local advertisers?

 

[Drolefille]

I was facepalming the idea that tactless, stupid local advertising IN GENERAL isn't common. It's common as dirt - why should I expect abortion clinics to have a higher standard than other local advertisers?

Because the past 35 years in the US haven't shown any problem?

Additionally this is in the UK with entirely different standards and practices, ones that trend towards more restrictions overall, not less - hence this most recent change in the law not occurring 35 years ago or more.

I was merely pointing out that your expectations appear to be unwarranted, not indicating that you desired to control anything.

 

[Kathryn]

Because the past 35 years in the US haven't shown any problem?

Additionally this is in the UK with entirely different standards and practices, ones that trend towards more restrictions overall, not less - hence this most recent change in the law not occurring 35 years ago or more.

I was merely pointing out that your expectations appear to be unwarranted, not indicating that you desired to control anything.

I'm a skeptic. I don't generally expect the best from media or advertising firms. Or abortion clinics. Or the medical industry in general.

Of course, the fact that I'm not expecting the best from a sacred cow seems be a bit touchy.

 

[Drolefille]

I'm a skeptic. I don't generally expect the best from media or advertising firms. Or abortion clinics. Or the medical industry in general.

Of course, the fact that I'm not expecting the best from a sacred cow seems be a bit touchy.

You're reading a lot into my response that isn't there. Feel free not to expect the 'best' from anything, but if you can come up with a time in the past 35+ years that there's been an abortion provider with inappropriate advertising on TV in the US I'm quite interested in hearing about it. Similarly if you have insight into advertising in the UK, particularly any that contradicts the responses of the groups cited in the BBC article, I'd be interested.

I have no idea how you're getting "touchy" out of my responses. I will continue to go out of my way here to try to explain I'm only responding to what you posted with the facts at hand.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I'm a skeptic. I don't generally expect the best from media or advertising firms. Or abortion clinics. Or the medical industry in general.

Don't conflate denialism with skepticism. Can you show us a single example of a tasteless abortion clinic ad ever shown in the US? As Drole pointed out, it's perfectly legal for abortion clinics to advertise in your country, and as you pointed out, the standards of tact and taste in American advertising generally aren't exactly high.

If abortion clinics were going to run tasteless ads, your country would seem to have the perfect environment for them to flourish, so where are they?

 

[Gjallarhorn]

This is a sincere question? Do you watch TV?

Put it another way: who exactly would be likely to go through with an abortion if the advertisers made an ad like that? Who would feel safe?

 

[Kathryn]

Don't conflate denialism with skepticism. Can you show us a single example of a tasteless abortion clinic ad ever shown in the US? As Drole pointed out, it's perfectly legal for abortion clinics to advertise in your country, and as you pointed out, the standards of tact and taste in American advertising generally aren't exactly high.

If abortion clinics were going to run tasteless ads, your country would seem to have the perfect environment for them to flourish, so where are they?

I don't watch much TV and I certainly don't seek out abortion services so I haven't run across ANY abortion clinic ads that I recall, other than the random Yellow Pages ad.

They're not in my line of vision, and that's fine by me.

Have at it. I'm just expressing my hope that the ads are tasteful.

 

[McBell]

There are extremists on both sides.

Yes there are.

I am against abortion for convenience or used as birth control, but you won't find me on a street corner with huge signs with pictures of aborted fetuses.

Agreed.

And as for 'setting the bar as to what should be and should not be acceptable in advertising' - just how, exactly can 'the anti abortion crowd' do that?

With the pictures of dead fetuses, the way they weasel word their objections to abortion, etc.

Clinics will advertise as they like, and people will protest as they like - at least, that's how it should be in a country which claims to respect freedom of speech.

Agreed.

I fail to see the problem myself.
I doubt that showing pics of dead fetuses will encourage women to get abortions.
And the ones it would encourage to get abortions, I would think are the ones we would not raising a child to begin with.