Women’s groups call for CBS to pull Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad
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It appears not everyone is a fan of Tim Tebow.
The former Florida quarterback, who’s known for writing Bible verses under his eyes, has been receiving criticism for starring in a planned Super Bowl commercial that critics say conveys an anti-abortion message.
Jehmu Greene, president of Women’s Media Center, asked CBS on Monday not to air the commercial, saying, ‘An ad that uses sports to divide rather than to unite has no place in the biggest national sporting event of the year.’
The Women’s Media Center is coordinating the effort to have the ad pulled with support from the National Organization for Women and the Feminist Majority Foundation.
A CBS spokesman said it had approved the advertisement’s script and it would be ‘appropriate for air.’ The network said today it would be willing to air more advocacy ads during the Super Bowl.
Tebow and his mother, Pam Tebow, appear in the advertisement, which was financed by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family. In the expected ad, Pam recounts how doctors recommended she have an abortion after developing complications while pregnant with Tim. The ad also shows how Tim went on to become one of the most successful college quarterbacks in the country.
‘I know some people won’t agree with it, but I think they can at least respect that I stand up for what I believe,’ Tim Tebow said.
Focus on the Family spokesman Gary Schneeberger said his group was ‘a little surprised’ by the controversy the ad had drawn. ‘There’s nothing political or controversial about it,’ he said.
Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women disagrees, saying the commercial is ‘not being respectful of other people’s lives.’
‘It is offensive to hold one way out as being a superior way over everybody else’s,’ she said.
What do you think? Do you think an ad discussing abortion is appropriate for the Super Bowl?
-- Austin Knoblauch
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
