Some pro-life groups and inviduals have criticized Focus on the Family’s Tim Tebow Superbowl ad and Yellow Line Studio’s faux-reality drama series “Bump” as not going far enough. I asked Father Frank Pavone, director of Priests for Life, how he felt about such efforts in the context of pro-life work overall. Here’s what he had to say.
There’s been a fair amount of controversy over the approach of Focus on the Family’s Tim Tebow Superbowl commercial and Yellow Line Studio’s faux-reality show “Bump+”. Do you see a place for such efforts in the broad scope of pro-life work?
Yes. The reason is, first of all, the commandment is against killing and compromising with killing, not against soft ads or approaches. We need to be wise and prudent and know our audiences. The Tebow ad was a victory in that the ad was shown.
I think that one of the things that is helpful for our people to understand, and this is traditional Catholic teaching, is the difference between positive and negative commandments. Negative commandments, such as ‘do not kill’ are absolute. Positive commandments, such as ‘do good’ or ‘preserve life’ or ‘protect your health’ admit of different degrees and limits. While I have an obligation to preserve my health, does that mean that I need to set up an exercise room in my own house or shop only at health food stores? These things vary and there is a lot of room for discretionary judgment. It’s the same thing with the whole pro-life effort.
How strong does a pro-life ad have to be? There’s no norm for that. Imagine all of the negotiations that had to take place with CBS to air the commercial. You get the best things you can get under the circumstances. I was delighted with the ad. Could it have been stronger? Of course, but could it have been stronger under the circumstances?
Are there other examples of softer approaches which have had success?
A lot of the efforts of the pro-life movement in general could be described in this way – television ads with different degrees of intensity, newspaper ads from National Right to Life, or the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Second Look Project. Their message to the people was, ‘Have we gone too far?’ Of course we have, but the point in advertising is where is the mind of the people and how do we best reach them where they are at?
All of these campaigns have had success. The Tebow ad shouldn’t be considered outside of the norm of what the movement has been doing in reaching the audiences where they are.
How do you feel about web-based drama series “Bump+”?
“Bump+” is a great service to the pro-life movement. “Bump+’s” target audience is not the pro-life community. It is trying to reach the vast number of citizens whose attitude toward abortion can best be described as conflicted. “Bump+” is not a forum for an abortion debate. The point here is to help viewers hear and feel both sides of the issue through stories. This is simply a conversation, not a condoning of abortion. We need to bring people through the conversation through stories. Jesus was a storyteller. You tell a story and let people connect with that. We do this through our Silent No More Awareness Campaign.
The big benefit for people in the middle is that “Bump+” helps people get beyond the slogans. Slogans can contain a lot of truth and grace, but they can also shut down thinking. If you can get people beyond slogans, that is a big benefit.
On the pro-life side of the coin, we have to make sure that we’re not just articulating arguments, but that we can feel with those who are facing the decision and the temptations that lead one toward abortion. This doesn’t mean that the decision should be anything other than choosing life, but the more we understand them, the better we will be able to help them.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you, Father Pavone for explaining so beautifully what a great service BUMP+ is to the pro-life movement!
I dont think you can call Tebow’s ad a Pro-Life one. Pro-Family and Pro-mother-and-son sure, but they never once mentioned abortion or the Choice of life. Dont get me wrong I loved the ad, but i didnt think it was Pro-Life. And it certainly wasnt controversial or anti-woman. It was sweet, simple, loving and it showed millions of young woman a guy truly worth dating
Thanks to NCR and Fr. Pavone for this article. His opinion on Bump+ is very comforting to those of us on the pro-life side of the argument who have been following the series with interest.
That said, I’m withholding all judgment on Bump+ until I’ve seen the whole thing. It is always unwise to criticize or praise anything sight unseen.
Thank you to Father Pavone and NCR! My son is associated with the “Bump+” series and I have never been so on the fence about a project in my life!
I am a pro-life activist, however I was pro-choice during my early adulthood and young motherhood…my heart needed to be changed. I understand what the creators of “Bump+” are trying to do and the audience they are trying to reach. It is comforting to hear one of our gifted and holy pro-life leaders speak positively and compassionately!!
I wonder how many women when they saw that abusive tackle on a mom, got disgusted and aborted on Monday! Tebow Ad was about a football player tackling his mom who considered aborting him. Looked like a Revenge Tackle. How many Babies were Aborted the Following Day - Monday - be cz it failed to witness to their moms? This is a Life & Death Issue
Recently,I have come to understand that the real issue here is respect for life in all circumstances. Abortion, like all acts of violence against life, is a symptom of the lack of understanding that we are all created in the image and likeness of God and are His children. It is imperative that we fight against abortion, euthanasia, injustices in immigration, issues of incarceration,pornography, the attack on the family, and all forms of abuses against the life God has given us. We need to teach children that they are valuable not because of anything they do or don’t do but because they are God’s children and He loves them, individually.
Focus on the Family changed hands—- this Tebow Ad—- is the Fruit of the New CEO of Focus on the Family. Their Salt is Insipid. They lost the Opportunity to Save Babies, and Reach Moms Teetering and Tempted to Abort. Just like the “Father” of the Baby or Parents or Doctor or Friends are not addressing the Confused Mother’s Needs to Hear Godly Advise—- Neither was Focus on the Family—- Focused on the Family—- they were focused on Money—- not saving souls, with pertainent life saving message. You don’t tippy toe around a subject—- when lives are at stake. And, you don’t fall in step with other dumb Catholics who are just regerjitating what someone else says, whose famous. Lives are a stake. And, lives were not saved. I guarantee it. Those ladies who balked at the ad—- are telling more truth than that dumb ad did. They were insulted as was I that this ad was stupid, saltless, and not prolife or prowoman, or proman.
If I was the CEO of CBS - I would have thrown out all the ads that ran on Super Bowl Sunday…..as trashy….insipid…salt.
Actually, Protestant Preachers comments on this Ad Reflect mine: because they stand on Scripture and I stand on Tradition as a Catholic. I won’t admire Catholics famous or otherwise, who applaud, a trashy ad, supposedly about abortion….when it never even mentioned abortion. It was INFECUND. Fruitless….Dumbing Down…and Sorry I Don’t Do Stupid! I am ashamed of you DANA, and more ashamed of you Fr. Pavone. I thought you had better sense than this.
Post a Comment
By submitting this form, you give The National Catholic Register permission to publish this comment. Comments will be published at our discretion, and may be edited for clarity and length. For best formatting, please limit your response to one paragraph and don't hit "enter" to force line breaks.