The Ad

Interesting to listen to all the controversy surrounding the Tim Tebow featured ad scheduled to air during the Super Bowl. The ad is sponsored either by Focus on the Family or it's founder, James Dobson. It's about Tim's mother refusing a recommended abortion in the Philippines when she was ill and pregnant with Tim.

We are a country of free speech and I don't deny the right to air this message. I do wonder if the venue is appropriate, or even if the message is fully accurate. The Huffinton Post points out that abortion under any circumstances has been illegal in the Philippines since 1930. Hard to believe that the doctors would risk recommending it.

Let's go with the assumption that the ad is factual (cough) and that Ms. Tebow had other legal options than to continue her pregnancy. Isn't it wonderful that she could choose to do so? I think so.

I'd like to look at this ad from a little bit different angle. I'm not really so impressed by the fact that due to Ms. Tebow's decision the world has one more amazing football quarterback, Heisman Trophy winning Christian. I'd be more impressed if Tim Tebow was actively involved in and on the verge of curing AIDS or diabetes or fibromyalgia or any number of other things. Instead he is getting very rich on his athletic abilities. Nice.

How about we do the same ad featuring "Ms. X," who makes the same choice, and her 22 year old child who has lived his/her entire short life burdened with numerous physical and mental disabilities, and their ongoing daily crisis of financial distress and insurance problems? I am sure she loves her child as much if not more than Ms. Tebow loves her son. There are probably innumerable more Ms. Xs out there than there are Ms. Tebows. They are truly the ones that should be honored. But I guess their messages wouldn't be as effective for the Pro-Lifers.

I don't begrudge anyone for making a choice to carry a pregnancy to full term when there might be strong reasons not to. Indeed, that woman had some difficult issues to consider.

But I also do not begrudge a woman for making the choice to have an abortion. I am not the one walking in her shoes. I don't know what obstacles she personally faces.

Keep *choice* alive. Many pro-choice people don't believe in abortion and wouldn't chose to have one, but we do believe in personal choice. If you don't believe in abortion, don't have one.