Media Study Shows Pro-Life Group’s Ad Effective on Abortion, Health Care
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 20, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — When it comes to advocating the pro-life perspective, there isn’t always an indication that the message has been effective or not. A new media study is providing the Family Research Council encouragement that its highly-publicized "Harry and Louise" ad against abortion in health care worked.
The FRC advertising campaign ran in five states but it received significant national attention thanks to repeated attacks on it from abortion advocates such as Planned Parenthood and NARAL.
The ad features an elderly couple reminiscent of the famous Harry and Louise ad that targeted the Clinton health care plan.
"And to think that Planned Parenthood is included in the government-run health care plan and spending tax dollars on abortions," a man says to his wife. "They won’t pay for our surgery, but we are forced to pay for our abortions."
HCD Research conducted a study featuring 605 self-declared Democrats, Republicans and independent voters that revealed the ad was well-received and prompted most viewers to be upset or angry that the health care bills in Congress include abortion funding.
The media research company said the ad earned an Impact Score of 9 among Democrats, and a score of 5 among Republicans and Independents. The score is based on a range of -100 to 100, and indicates the ad made an impact because it was not received negatively by those who viewed it.
"A positive impact score among Democrats suggests that there is some, albeit modest, movement of Democrats away from the pro health care reform camp," commented Glenn Kessler, president and CEO of the company.
The majority of all parties reported that the FRC anti reform ad was effective, with 64% of Democrats, 81% of Republicans and 71% of Independents indicating that the ad was either extremely effective or somewhat effective.
Very few voters viewed the ad with "skepticism," with just 24 percent of Democrats, 14 percent of Republicans and 23 percent of independent voters saying so.
The commercial ran in five states, including Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Alaska, Louisiana, and Nebraska and is meant to generate calls and emails to members of the House and Senate.
The hard-hitting ad lays out two key threats should President Barack Obama’s plan become reality — rationing and taxpayer funded abortions.
Patients, particularly the elderly, will face denial of vital treatments while at the same time be forced to pay for abortions, the ad says. The ad urges viewers to tell Congress to oppose the government takeover of health care and to oppose a health care plan that will deny care to "our greatest generation" and deny life to "our future generation."
"In a world of health care rationing, the elderly, the handicapped and the frail are the most likely to lose their lives because care was delayed or denied," FRC president Tony Perkins told LifeNews.com.
Perkins says similar health care systems in other nations leads to rationing.
"Under the government-run plans in England and Canada, the countries’ sick and elderly aren’t getting the care they need," he explained. "As a result, their system isn’t improving lives but prematurely taking them. Here in the United States, President Obama’s rationing would mean that you and I could be denied basic care while our tax dollars are used to underwrite a mother choosing to end the life of her unborn child."
Perkins says Americans need to be aware that Congressional leaders are intent on allowing the rationing of health care.
View the ad, "After a Government Takeover of Health Care" –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxFC9Af3W1U
Family Research Council – https://www.frc.org
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