Catholic Exchange

When the British television advertising regulatory agency announced in March this year that it would consider allowing abortionists to advertise on television, doctors and religious leaders united against the scheme saying it would do nothing but increase Britain’s already sky-high abortion rate. But officials were not prepared for the overwhelming opposition of Britain’s public to the idea. With over 4000 submissions having been made to the consultation, the review of the advertising codes will be delayed a year.

The public consultation closed on June 19 and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) had expected that the changes would be implemented as early as next year; but now the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), the body responsible for the advertising codes, has said they will not be able to complete the consultation process until the first quarter of next year due to the unprecedented number of submissions, many of which expressed opposition to abortion.

The proposals also included the suggestion to allow advertisements for condoms and other artificial birth control before the so-called "watershed" hour of 9 pm. The proposals were hailed by Britain’s abortion industry as a "progressive" move.

Paul Tully, general secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said, "We are pleased to note that the BCAP is carefully scrutinising the submissions. We hope that this huge expression of public concern will make the BCAP realise the depth of public feeling on the issue.

"We are very, very grateful to all those who have expressed reservations about the proposals. We must ensure that the government too notes the depth of public concern on this matter, and SPUC groups around the country are currently promoting a national petition directed to the prime minister to ensure that our concerns are heard by politicians too."