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Planned Parenthood Tries to Get U.S. Pro-Life Ads Booted From Radio Stations

Pro-life activists strongly encouraged to write in to thank stations for running ads

By John Connolly and John Jalsevac

SAN FRANCISCO, January 28, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Planned Parenthood's Golden Gate chapter (PPGG) is trying to have pro-life radio spots by the USCCB removed, claiming that they spread "lies" and "gross inaccuracies" about abortion.

Second Look Project, an awareness campaign sponsored by the USCCB, is running a number of radio and print ads, including one entitled "Heartbeat".

The radio ad begins with the thumping sound of a heartbeat:

"Hear that?" says the announcer. "It's the heartbeat of an infant in the womb at six months. His heart's beating at about 140 beats per minute. If he were born right now, his chances of survival would be greater than 50%."

"But even today, his mother could choose to have an abortion…Each year, more than 18,000 babies who are already in the 5th month of pregnancy are aborted. And it's legal. Roe vs. Wade says you can choose to have an abortion for virtually any reason, at any time, right up through the 9th month. It's been over 30 years since Roe vs. Wade, and now one in every four pregnancies ends in abortion."

The ad concludes, "Have we gone too far?" and then gives the information for the Second Look website.

The criticism against the ad campaign has taken the form of complaints from watchdog groups and outright vandalism against the print ads. In 2006 the Second Look Project in San Francisco had so many of its signs vandalized that it went through all the extra signs that were made, and eventually had to print more.

PPGG, the Planned Parenthood chapter responsible for such explicit television ads as the "Mile High Club," has begun an e-mail campaign to have Second Look Project's radio spots in San Francisco taken off the air.

"Many supporters like you have informed us that the antis are back at it again," says the e-mail. "They're running ads in the Bay Area, Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C., that tout lies and contain gross inaccuracies and pro-choice activists throughout the Bay Area are asking us to do something about it."

The e-mail goes on and gives suggested message to send to KCBS and KFRC, the stations that aired Second Look Project's spots. The message asserts that the stations are unethical for playing the spots, and demands they be removed immediately.

Last year in Seattle, a radio station cancelled a number of Second Look ads, after a similar effort was made by pro-abortion activists to have the campaign stopped, Second Look Campaign spokesman Deidre McQuade told LifeSiteNews.com in an interview today. However, McQuade added, this most recent action alert by Planned Parenthood comes too late for any immediate effect, since the radio campaign has already come to a close.

Nevertheless, said McQuade, pro-life advocates should go out of their way to contact the radio stations that ran the ads in San Francisco, thanking them for protecting the right to free speech.

"I think the best thing to do is to call or write to those same two radio stations and just very pleasantly thank them. No need for being defensive or strident or anything. Just say 'Thank you for believing in the First Amendment speech rights and for giving this pro-life group the opportunity to speak their piece on abortion.'"

"I don't think we do enough affirming of the stations that do run our ads. For instance, we should have affirmed the metro system last year when they ran the ads, and then there was a controversy - instead of writing in to say 'Darn it! Keep them up!', to instead write in and say 'Thank you. Thank you for having the integrity and giving fair air-time to a paying customer with an interesting and legitimate perspective.'"

"I think had maybe the Seattle radio station heard more thanks, or at least respect for airing our perspective, they wouldn't have stopped the campaign."

McQuade also responded to Planned Parenthood's accusations that the ad campaign is spreading "lies" and "gross inaccuracies", challenging PP, "Where exactly do you say the lies are? We've substantiated everything we've said on our website."

Listen to the ads:
http://www.secondlookproject.org/tslp_radio.html

The two radio stations in San Francisco that ran the ads are:

KCBS:
http://www.kcbs.com/pages/9137.php?tr=y&auid=3331820

KFRC
http://kfrc.com/pages/471386.php?tr=y&auid=3331817

See previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Ads To Dispel Myths Of Legal Abortion Launched by US Bishops' Office
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jan/05012802.html

Abortion Activists Vandalize San Francisco Pro-Life Subway Advertisements
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jan/06011606.html 

Group Demands D.C. Metro Remove US Bishops' Pro-life Ad Project Telling Truth on Abortion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/mar/07030508.html

Contact the local sponsor, the San Francisco Archdiocese, at:

Archdiocese of San Francisco
One Peter Yorke Way
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 614-5596
(415) 614-5658 FAX

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