Jeffery Dahmer's mother didn't abort him either. A lot of little boys would have been better off if she had.

Jack the Ripper's mother didn't abort him. A lot of women would have been better off if she had.

I could list more, but I think my point is made.

Before you applaud too loudly, tell us how much Tebow is making by appearing in this ad.

Hey Tim!

My mom didn't abort me, either. Get over yourself. You're not so special.

I view this ad as shameless self-promotion. He knew it would get him lots of attention. This is a boy whose parents called him Superman as a child (because he survived his mother's infection in the womb). Then as a collegiate athlete, he wore a Superman T-shirt under his jersey. He was seen posing shirtless for photos the week of the Senior Bowl. People don't like him because he's full of himself. While I do not share the same denomination as Tebow, I am a Christian, and I was taught to be humble.

I am pro-choice but will be very interested to see the commercial and have only one problem with it airing, the network has turned down other ads in the past for political tones and I have heard there was even a gay dating ad that was shot down this year. Either you include all voices, or exclude politics.

"Mission Of the Mothers' Home

As a residential shelter, Mothers' Home provides a safe haven for vulnerable, pregnant women in a crisis who choose life as a sacred gift.

We encourage our mothers to celebrate the joy of new life and help them prepare for their future and the future of their child.

We focus on physical, emotional and developmental needs including positive life skills, parenting, and job preparation.

We strive to assist our mothers to reach their goals of independence and self sufficiency.

About Mothers' Home

Located in Darby, Pennsylvania, Mothers' Home is a safe-haven for pregnant women and their children.

Hope through empowerment. Mothers' Home provides hope for up to 22 young adult women struggling to give birth in spite of rejection and abandonment. Mothers' Home is an opportunity for empowerment as the expectant mothers receive counseling, childbirth and parenting classes, job preparation programs, assistance in finding independent housing, and much more. Each year, approximately 40-50 new mothers come to live at Mothers' Home and most return with their babies after delivery."

Make a donation at http://www.mothershome.org/donate.aspx

First, while I may not agree with Tebow's position, I have respect for him holding it and, more importantly, not being afraid to express it. Good for him.

Two, as another poster pointed out, Tebow's mother was fortunate. Would the NFL like to hold a moment of silence for women who ignored their doctors' advice and died in childbirth as a consequence? Doubtful. Yet this ad will be received as an unquestioned tribute to wisdom of not having an abortion. Which is deceptive. It is not always wise.

Three, abortion is legal. As an American, I believe that we live by the laws that are on our books, and we work to change them if we don't like them. Pot is illegal, but many enjoy smoking it. Would the NFL green-light an ad from NORML (or whatever the acronym is)?

As for Americans not being "dumb", well, we're selfish, we're turning into a second-world power, most Americans are mathematically, scientifically and technologically illiterate, and we refuse to sacrifice to help our country as a whole be healthier and more secure. I have heard enough morons parrot fox news without being able to reference a single substantive supporting document or argument that I don't even bother engaging. What, you never read a book or a magazine like Foreign Affairs, and I'm supposed to think you know something about, say, our Iraq policy? Please. Similarly, most abortion discussions are nothing but ill-informed BS and name calling. Most pro-lifers couldn't understand a cell biology or genetics textbook if they had twenty years to work on it.

Anyway, a nice, facile ad by Tim Tebow will make plenty of people feel nice and smug. A shame it will do nothing to educate or improve America.

And back to the topic of defending children:

Thou shalt not kill/murder defenseless children or any of the following endangered species in their wombs or eggs :

"Mammals

Bison bison athabascae (Wood bison)
Canis lupus (Gray wolf)
Canis rufus (Red wolf)
Corynorhinus townsendii (Townsend's big-eared bat)
Dipodomys casks (Stephen's kangaroo rat)
Dipodomys heermanni morroensis (Morro Bay kangaroo rat)
Dipodomys ingens (Giant kangaroo rat)
Dipodomys merriami parvus (San Bernardino Merriam's kangaroo rat)
Dipodomys nitratoides (Kangaroo rat) (vulnerable)
Dipodomys stephensi (Stephen's kangaroo rat)
Eumetopias jubatus (Steller Sea Lion)
Lasiurus cinereus semotus (Hawaiian Hoary bat)
Leptonycteris curasoae yerbabuenae (Lesser long-nosed bat)
Leptonycteris nivalis (Mexican long-nosed bat)
Microtus californicus scirpensis (Amargosa vole)
Microtus mexicanus hualpaiensis (Mexican Hualapai vole)
Mustela nigripes (Black-footed ferret)
Myotis grisescens (Gray bat)
Myotis sodalis (Indiana bat)
Neotoma fuscipes riparia (Riparian woodrat)
Odocoileus hemionus cerrosensis (Cedros Island mule deer)
Oryzomys palustris natator (Rice rat)
Ovis canadensis californiana (California bighorn sheep)
Perognathus longimembris pacificus (Pacific pocket mouse)
Peromyscus gossypinus allapaticola (Key Largo cotton mouse)
Puma concolor couguar (North American Cougar)
Puma yagouaroundi cacomitli (Gulf Coast Jaguarundi)
Puma yagouaroundi tolteca (Sinaloan Jaguarundi)
Rangifer tarandus caribou (Woodland caribou)
Reithrodontomys raviventris (Salt Marsh harvest mouse) (vulnerable)
Sciurus niger cinereus (Delmarva Peninsula fox)
Sorex ornatus relictus (Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew)
Sylvilagus bachmani riparius (Riparian brush rabbit)
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis (Mount Graham red squirrel)
Trichechus manatus (West Indian manatee)
Urocyon littoralis (Island fox)
Vulpes macrotis mutica (San Joaquin kit fox)[1]

Birds

Agelaius xanthomus (Yellow-shouldered blackbird)
Amazona vittata (Puerto Rican Amazon)
Ammodramus maritimus mirabilis (Cape Sable seaside sparrow)
Campephilus imperialis (Imperial woodpecker)
Campephilus principalis (Ivory-billed Woodpecker)
Caprimulgus noctitherus (Puerto Rican nightjar)
Corvus hawaiiensis
Corvus kubaryi (Mariana Crow)
Corvus leucognaphalus (White-necked Crow) (vulnerable)
Dendroica chrysoparia (Golden-cheeked Warbler)
Grus americana (Whooping crane)
Gymnogyps californianus (California condor)
Hemignathus munroi (ʻAkiapolaʻau)
Loxops coccineus coccineus (Hawaii 'Akepa)
Numenius borealis (Eskimo curlew)
Phoebastria albatrus (Short-tailed albatross) (vulnerable)
Picoides borealis (Red-cockaded Woodpecker) (vulnerable)
Tympanuchus cupido attwateri (Attwater's greater prairie-chicken)
Vireo atricapilla (Black-capped vireo) (vulnerable)
Vermivora bachmanii (Bachman's wood warbler)[2]"

from www.wikipedia.com

Rukiebeno:

It's funny to me that we do not make a big deal out of the soft porn from other commercials but this one is getting all the attention.
-------------------------------------
Yes, this is true. This piece of soft porn is getting a lot of attention.

Like any other company, CBS has the right to do whatever they want to get ratings. You are the one that is paying the bills for them. If you don't agree then don't watch. If they show an add that I don't like then I will turn it off as well.

It's funny to me that we do not make a big deal out of the soft porn from other commercials but this one is getting all the attention.

Good job Chad on the article and good job CBS for showing the ad....even if it is only for creating a buzz and ratings! Good job Tim for sticking up for what you believe.

Yeah, not looking forward to the half-time show. Bad choice!

"We can and will make our own decisions as long as we have access to information and can see the actions of those who are trying to formulate public opinion."

We can and will make our own decisions only as long as we have the freedon to make our own decisions.

Tim Tebow works with a group of people who want to take the freedom of choice away from women; the same freedom of choice that his own mother availed herself of.

Minor followup--when I say I work on issues relating to "life", that is NOT only in the context of reproductive medicine.

Chad,

I have to say that while I might disagree with some of your arguments, you present the issue in a far more reasonable and less shrill manner than others guest posters in this venue. We do agree that stories should be told -- but I question if 30 second testimonials, any more than political sound bites, are informative about matters of deep ethical import.

While I can understand CBS making a business decision to go with the Focus on the Family ad but reject the gay dating service, or the earlier one from the United Churches of Christ, let's not assume that the Super Bowl is the place for reasoned discussion of issues that can be agonizing to people of good will on either side.

When you speak of a "sense of purpose", do you mean to suggest it can only be expressed in Tebow's religious orientation? Like Lepidopteryx, I'm active in a Unitarian group that recognizes both earth-centered (pagan) and humanist traditions -- and I assure you that I actively volunteer on issues relating to life. Indeed, I manage to thoroughly annoy the further-left social justice people when I present objective information about terrorism, strategic balances, and other areas. In local government, I work in disaster preparedness and public health. There are other areas where I contribute to what I see as loving my neighbor -- and that can include people down the street and across the world.

Other guest posters -- not you -- have taken a lofty tone that everyone not in their particular religious and moral tradition is self-indulgent and selfish. Perhaps the discussion in this thread can reflect that.

Until CBS airs a contrasting ad on, say, gay rights or a pro-choice viewpoint, I regard this one as improper favoritism. Thanks to DVR, I plan to skip all of the ads, Tebow's included, and the lame halftime show.

Thou shalt not kill/murder defenseless children or spotted owls in or out of their eggs!!!

Tim Tebow & Focus on the family deserve the attacks they are getting for an anti-abortion TV ad airing during the super bowl...Tim Tebow will not be playing in the NFL after he is cut from the NFL in august 2010..tim tebow will then be free to do his pathetic Christian missionary work 24/7....in of September 2010 Tim Tebow can chastise women for having abortions as a paid missionary.

If the anti-abortion movement applied 10% of the energy they put into noisy theatrics & devoted it to improving the lives of children who have been born into lives of poverty, violence, and neglect, they could make a world shine.

It's not a question of the story itself being a threat to anyone. Tebow's mother went against her doctor's advice and everything turned out groovy for her. Yippee.
That doesn't mean that every woman who decides to carry a high risk pregnancy will be so lucky. That doesn't mean that women should always carry their pregnancies, no matter the risk.

The main problem most people have with the ad is inappropriate time and place. CBS has always refused "issue" ads for the Superbowl - if your ad wasn't pitching a specific product, then they would not air it during the Super Bowl. They recently rejected an ad from a progressive church advertising the fact that they qwelcome gay couples, on the basis that it was an "issue" ad, not a product ad. So why are they now accepting this issue ad from Focus on the Family?