THE FIRST TV commercial advertising advice on abortion services will be screened on British television next week, campaigners said yesterday, provoking an enthusiastic welcome from advocates of women’s sexual health and outrage from anti-abortion groups.
The advert from Marie Stopes will be screened on Monday, offering what the organisation says will be “clear, non-judgmental information” on unplanned pregnancies and abortion services.
“Last year alone, we received 350,000 calls to our 24-hour helpline,” said Dana Hovig, Marie Stopes’s chief executive. “Clearly, there are hundreds of thousands of women who want and need sexual health information and advice, and access to services.”
Marie Stopes says it aims to provide women with information rather than to promote abortion or any other choice.
But the decision to screen the advert was described as “grotesque” by Michaela Aston, a spokeswoman for the anti-abortion campaign group Life.
The ad will be shown at 10.10pm on the Channel 4 station and revolves around the slogan “Are you late?”
The Advertising Standards Authority said non-commercial providers of sexual health services such as Marie Stopes had been permitted to advertise on UK television for some time.
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said it was seeking advice over the advert’s legality.