Abortion ad approval condemned by leading pro-life group London, - A ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in favour of a television advertisement by Marie Stopes International (MSI), one of Britain's main abortion providers, has been condemned by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), one of Britain's leading pro-life groups.

Paul Tully, SPUC general secretary, commented: "Advertising abortion, whether directly or under the guise of so-called 'pregnancy advice’, is indecent and dishonest. Yet the ASA has approved showing TV ads from one of the biggest abortion-providers in the UK. "The ASA says the ad is not offensive, thus ignoring the fundamental nature of the ad’s message which is: 'We can kill unborn babies'. 

This message is just as offensive as saying 'We can kill immigrants', 'We can kill paedophiles' or targeting any other disparaged group. It is simply casuistic of the ASA to hold that the ad isn’t advertising abortion. "As an industry-based group, it is free to reflect the views of the broadcasters and publishers who want lucrative advertising deals: it is a great shame that it has not acted more impartially in this matter. The ASA is not a statutory authority. It is not answerable democratically or judicially to anyone, nor does it have power to impose any penalties or hold anyone to account. The ASA’s approval of TV abortion ads highlights the need for Jeremy Hunt, the media secretary, to intervene, as he can*, to stop these deeply offensive ads", concluded Mr Tully.

SPUC has launched a nationwide leafleting campaign to put pressure on the Government to intervene. * The Communications Act 2003, s321, gives the Secretary of State full scope to ban advertising of any description.