Focus on the Family Will Air Super Bowl Ad With Pro-Life Player Tim Tebow
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 15, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Focus on the Family has confirmed that it as moved ahead with a planned Super Bowl television commercial featuring pro-life Heisman trophy-winning football player Tim Tebow. Although the pro-life group won’t confirm the content, it could feature the story of how Tebow’s mom refused an abortion.
Tebow is the University of Florida star quarterback whose mother decided not to abort him in a crisis pregnancy.
The Super Bowl ad would be costly — as a spot during the game and three 30-second commercials before it would reportedly run about $2-3 million — but provides a unique exposure to a large national and international audience.
The pro-life group confirmed today to the Denver Post that it will air a 30-second ad both right before and during the Super Bowl.
Focus spokesman Gary Schneeberger would not divulge the content but told the newspaper that Tebow agreed to appear in the ad because he feels strongly about his pro-life convictions.
Jim Daly, Focus on the Family president and chief executive officer, said in a statement that the Tebow message comes at a good time because "families need to be inspired."
"Tim and Pam share our respect for life and our passion for helping families thrive," Daly said. "Focus on the Family is about … strengthening families by empowering them with the tools they need to live lives rooted in morals and values."
Schneeberger said the money for the ad campaign from donors who made special gifts to the pro-life group about and beyond their typical donations.
"Every cent for this ad was paid for by generous donors who specifically gave for this project because they are excited about this opportunity for Focus to show who we are and what we do," Schneeberger said.
The ad could feature the story of Tebow’s birth.
Pam Tebow and her husband were Christian missionaries in the Philippines in 1985 and they prayed for "Timmy" before she became pregnant.
Unfortunately, Pam entered into a coma after she contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in a contaminated food or drink. The treatment for the medical condition would require strong medications that doctors told Pam had caused irreversible damage to Tim — so they advised her to have an abortion.
Tebow refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities physicians predicted. She ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and, eventually, gave birth to a health baby boy in August 1987.
Tim Tebow would win the Heisman in 2007 and then lead the Florida Gators football team to the national championship a year later and he is likely a top draft pick for 2010.
Whether CBS would allow the potential Focus pro-life ad to air was a question when news of the ad first came up earlier this month.
Last year, NBC rejected a television commercial the pro-life Catholic group Fidelis and its CatholicVote web site hoped to run.
The ad showed a beautiful picture of an unborn child during an ultrasound and asks what would happen if President Barack Obama had been a victim of abortion.
After several days of negotiations, an NBC representative in Chicago told the group that NBC and the NFL are not interested in advertisements involving "political advocacy or issues."
Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com
Daily Pro-Life News Report Twice-Weekly Pro-Life
News Report Receive a free daily email report from LifeNews.com with the latest pro-life news stories on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here. Receive a free twice-weekly email report with the latest pro-life news headlines on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here.
