It is ironic that I’m already walking on egg-shells about this topic (what with everyone’s fave fry-up accompaniment being a chicken’s period)… but here goes. Basically, for the first time in British televisual history, we’ll be getting to see commercials about abortions. Yessir, a commercial will air to offer advice on abortion services and it will transmit next week.

Of course, this news will see people (by which I mean, those with extreme views and loud voices) on both sides of the fence throwing their hands in the air with glee or unparalleled anger (depending on what side of the fence they are).

The advert from Marie Stopes will be screened on Monday, offering what the organisation says will be “clear, non-judgmental information” on unplanned pregnancies and abortion services.

Marie Stopes says it aims to provide women with information rather than to promote abortion or any other choice.

Seems fair right? I guess that most of us are Pro-Choice for women… right? Of course not… and right on-cue, here come the Pro-Lifers.

This commercial has already been described as “grotesque” by Michaela Aston, a spokeswoman for the anti-abortion campaign group Life.

“I can only express utter disbelief that this is being allowed, given the opposition to abortion advertising expressed during the recent public consultation. To allow abortion providers to advertise on TV, as though they were no different from car companies or detergent manufacturers, is grotesque,” she said.

Whether she’s got a point or not is by-the-by because, when it comes to showing grotesque images, the Pro-Life brigade have thrust more images of dead children in my face than anyone else before even asking me whether or not I was in agreement with them… so on a human/peevish level, I think it’s kinda funny that someone might do the same to them (don’t say ‘they don’t have to tune in’ because you know damn well they will, just so they can get so angry that they have to puke in the living room bin).

The Guardian reports that the Advertising Standards Authority said non-commercial providers of sexual health services, such as Marie Stopes, had been permitted to advertise on UK television for some time. “If viewers have concerns about the content or scheduling of the ad, the ASA is able to consider complaints once the ad has aired. However, we cannot act on objections that viewers might have about the service being advertised at all,” said a spokesman.

Obviously, this commercial is a good thing. You don’t have to agree with it and you will have to suck it up if it makes you angry. That’s the way the world works. The commercial isn’t promoting a mass culling of unborn babies, but rather, making women aware of their options. Personally, I think that a TV spot such as this is infinitely more useful than a webuyanycar.com commercial or a Go Compare ad’. In fact, the latter are a very good case for aborting humans before they make any irritating advertisements*

As an aside, here‘s a very interesting and completely biased with my view on things article by a brainy young lass that is definitely worth reading on the topic of abortion.

*Please note: This is a joke