Questions The Tebow Ad Sparks

The infamous “Tebow Pro-life Super Bowl Ad” finally aired.

The ad and Pam Tebow’s story is undeniably heartwarming, but it probably has more of a place in Chicken Soup for the Soul than the Super Bowl, and this is why:

Super Bowl advertisements notoriously receive the most attention and are endlessly replayed, telling us what we should buy, or in this case, what ideology we should buy into. At first glance, it does seem silly that so much mud slinging between Pro-Life and Pro-Choice organizations occurred over an ad that doesn’t even mention abortion. However, the Tebow ad cannot and does not exist in an apolitical context.

Consider that ads are for selling something, not for us to take a break from the tumultuous Super Bowl and feel good because Tebow’s mom decided not to have an abortion; even tear-jerking Hallmark ads are trying to sell something. As consumers, we respond to that those heart-warming stories that hide the raw ad. Whenever we buy or receive a Hallmark card, we, perhaps unconsciously, ascribe a deep emotional significance to a charming, often-clichéd folded piece of paper. How can we ignore that the Tebow ad forces us to do the same thing? We see a beautiful mother-son relationship and unite that with what abortion would have destroyed. Sure, this does have some validity, but it ignores societal factors ingrained in the decision to have an abortion.

Women don’t typically choose abortion in order to suppress the joys and successes of children. Often, abortion is a choice because a woman knows she cannot provide for a child because of economic or social reasons. The ad vilifies this choice and gives viewers emotional ammunition to throw in the face of any Pro-Choicer.

Even if you don’t buy the argument that the Tebow ad subliminally turns us into Pro-Lifers, the controversy has deeper roots than a 30 second commercial. The Pro-Life organization Focus on Family hyped the Tebow Story as the pilot for a new campaign against abortion. Pro-Choice affiliated organization NOW responded to this concept. Arguably, the actual ad has very little to do with the debate. It boils down to what the ad stands for and what it projects onto our culture.

We need to consider: Should we let the story of one privileged family define and shape our views about abortion? Is the Tebow story really realistic to every woman’s situation? And how exactly does this ad function in relationship to the Super Bowl and American culture?

–Lexie Tourek