Gloria Allred Says 'I Have Good News' About Anti-Abortion Super Bowl Ad
May 28 2018, Updated 10:09 a.m. ET
By Jen Heger - RadarOnline.com Legal Editor
You can guarantee Gloria Allred will be on the winning team.
The famed women's rights advocate has gotten a television station to agree not to air a controversial anti-abortion ad during Sunday’s Super Bowl, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.
EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENT: Gloria Allred's Letter To TV Stations
As previously reported, Allred fired off a letter to television stations that are planning on airing the highly con troversial ad during the Super Bowl, which right to life advocate, Randall Terry had bought. The commercial features an aborted fetus in graphic detail.
"We have received some good news. KKCO in Grand Junction, Colorado has informed me that they have decided not to run the ad," Allred tells RadarOnline.com exclusively.
The anti-abortion ad is scheduled to run during the Super Bowl in Ada, Oklahoma, Joplin, Missouri, Paducah, Kentucky, and Springfield, Missouri. Commercials will also be airing during the pre-game of the Super Bowl in Kansas City, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and St. Louis, Missouri, among others.
Allred, the President of the Women's Equal Rights Legal Defense and Eduction Fund points out that there is an inherent danger in televising the ad because: "In light of the fact that we now live in an environment in which there is a frequent harassment and sometimes violence against doctors, healthcare providers, and clinics that provide abortions, it is particularly dangerous to air such an ad without the other side being presented.
“I am sure you are well aware of the tragic murder of Dr. George Tiller (an abortion provider). Even before he was murdered by Scott Roeder (an anti-choice activist), Dr. Tiller was the frequent target of violence against him. Broadcasting such an ad will only serve to polarize the public on this important issue and could mislead young people about the medical procedure."
It’s not the first time Allred has tackled TV stations about running right to life ads during Super Bowl. In 2010 the attorney threatened CBS over its plans to run a controversial anti-abortion ad featuring devoutly Christian NFL star Tim Tebow, and his mother Pam.
EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENT: Gloria Allred Pens An Open Letter To Les Moonves, CEO Of CBS
In the ad, which was funded by Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian organization that places emphasis on marriage and parenthood, Pam shared the story of her difficult 1987 pregnancy which occurred when she was working as a missionary in the Philippines. In her harrowing tale she says she fell ill with amoebic dysentery while pregnant and was treated with robust antibiotics, which she says doctors told her had caused fetal damage, prompting them to urge her to terminate her pregnancy, but she refused their advice that she have an abortion for her own safety. Going on to give birth to Tebow, the now-famous quarterback who went on to become a Heisman Trophy winner.
In an exclusive interview with RadarOnline.com Allred slammed the ad and CBS's decision to air it, pointing out factual inconsistencies with Pam's story. One glaring one was the fact that the act of abortion is totally illegal in the majority Catholic country of the Philippines - under all circumstances including rape and incest, and even without a provision in the circumstance that the mother's life is in danger. The law has been in effect since 1930.
Allred claimed it was an impossible scenario to believe that Philippino doctors would of ever suggested abortion as a viable option for Tebow in the first place. And when you learn that physicians and midwives who perform abortions in the Philippines face six years in prison, and may have their licenses suspended or revoked, and that women who receive abortions - no matter the reason - may be punished with imprisonment for two to six years, it's easy to see why.
Allred shared an open letter with RadarOnline.com that she had written to Les Moonves, the President and CEO of the CBS Corporation, where she urged him to re-think his decision to air the controversial ad, and questioned his decision in light of the fact that CBS have turned down other advocacy ads in the past.
Allred lost that particular battle though and the ad aired.
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Gloria Allred Fires Off Letter To TV Stations Planning On Airing Anti-Abortion Ad During Super Bowl