Prime Time Abortions

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I have been asked to participate in the BBC1 programme The Big Questions that airs this Sunday morning at 10AM.

The topic they wish me to contribute on is this weeks review by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee on Advertising Practice (BCAP) that would allow pregnancy advisory services - including abortion information - to be advertised on TV and radio as part of plans aimed at reducing high UK rates of teenage pregnancy and sexual infections.

I find the whole discussion somewhat bizarre in the first place since TV and radio are the prime villains when it comes to the sexualisation of children in society today. To now try and deal with the inevitable consequences of promoting sex and promiscuity by providing a few get out clauses seems to me to miss the more important point.

I'm not going to get into the whole pro/anti abortion debate but rather intend to focus on the wider impact of abortion awareness on children. I wonder whether if we present ourselves as a society that is comfortable with promoting abortion to children we will be sending a message to children that children can be a burden and are best terminated if inconvenient.

Take this condom ad for example:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7965916.stm

I think it is important that we make every effort to reinforce a child's sense of worth, value and purpose and I think these emasure may undermine that.