(CNN) - Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is not backing down from her criticisms over the National Organization for Women's demand that CBS cease from airing a pro-life commercial during the Superbowl.
"For a pro-life, pro-woman, pro-family ad to be seen as offensive and not empowering women is puzzling," Palin told Fox News' Greta Van Susteren Thursday. "It makes you wonder what is NOW afraid of?"
The ad in question is paid for by the conservative political action group Focus on the Family and features Heisman-winning college quarterback Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam, discussing her decision not to have an abortion even though doctors recommended it at the time. Deciding against an abortion, she gave birth to Tim, who grew up to be an all-star quarterback at the University of Florida and perhaps one of the best college quarterbacks of all time.
Several abortion rights groups have taken issue with the ad, saying the Superbowl is not the correct forum for politically-charged messages. But Palin, who originally took issue with NOW's request on her Facebook page earlier this week, said the group is picking the wrong battle.
"It certainly isn't an offensive message," the former Alaska governor said on Fox. "For NOW to have chosen this, [they are] picking a wrong battle I think, to come across sounding quite offended by hearing that a pro-life commercial will air on the Superbowl, it's baffling."
Meanwhile NOW President Terry O'Neill said Palin is "missing our point."
"The goal of the Focus on the Family ad is not to empower women. It's to create a climate in which Roe v. Wade can be overturned," O'Neill said in a statement obtained by CNN. "There are always going to be women who need abortions. In this country, one in three women will have an abortion."
While CBS used to adhere to a policy of not airing advocacy commercials during sporting events, a spokesman for the network told the Associated Press they have changed their stance to reflect "industry norms."
From CNN Politics
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Sarah Palin does not have a clue. Had the ad been "pro-choice, pro-woman, pro-family" there would be no issue. Palin simply lacks the critical thinking skills needed to be a leader.
FB
We all have a right to free speech, but it seems NOW believes some folks have more of a right than others.
Palin is "missing our point."
Gee, what are the odds of that happening?!?!?!?
I wonder if CBS would show a Pro-Choice ad and would Palin react to that?
Go ahead and air the pro-life ad at the super bowl and actually go ahead at any time but then don't complain when a pro-choice ads get aired during prime time airtime as well. Free speech for everyone.
What is wrong with Sarah Palin? It isn't pro-"life" its anti-abortion. I wouldn't want a pro-life ad on TV and wouldn't want a pro-abortion ad on tv, its a personal issue but it needs to stay legal. When it doesnt, abortions still happen – illegally and dangerously. Sarah Palin is an illogical, unintelligent, uninformed person that is not only a disgrace to women in politics but humanity in general.
In recent years it seems the tail is trying to wag the dog. Alternative life-styles and pro-abortion supporters beleive that by yelling louder it gives more credence to their cause. In reality, it shows desperation. The majority still decides.
NOW has been off track for years. NOW needs to go away.
Palin 2012
Perhaps Focus on the Family might put the bazillion dollars it costs to run a Super Bowl ad to better use by providing funding for children being raised in foster care in this family.
CBS has long ceased being the network of walter cronkite. They have caved into the right to lifeers.
Hey guys, with all this extreme partisan fundamentalism, do you think your country is heading for all out civil war?
The uproar over this spot is not that it's "pro-life." It's that it is suggesting that women ignore their doctors' recommendations when they are told their lives are in danger because of the pregnancy. Come on, people. Use your heads.
What's new? Sarah Palin ALWAYS misses the point. She, like a lot of ultra-conservatives, believes that if you don't believe the way she does, you are the enemy. There is never room for discussion.
I have no problem with advocacy ads so long as they are not misleading. This one is not. People are entitled to their opinions, even if they disagree with me. That said, Palin is a piece of crap idiot.
They're going to reject the gay dating commercial but allow this ad? CBS fail.
So CBS will air a pro-life commercial but won't air a pro-gay commercial? Not that they'd have a double standard or anything like that.
But really, folks. It's the Superbowl. Let's forget running political commercials for a few hours so that we can focus on commercials that are relevant to the game–like beer, cars, pizzas and maybe jock itch medications.
Who cares? Why does NOW continue to stoke the proverbial fire? Can you imagine the outrage if the netorks refused to aie a commercial for Planned Parenthood? Hey, if the right wants to spend its money to air a commercial on an issue which it feels passionately about during the most expensive commercial time of the year then let them. I agree that Palin is a dope, but why would you give her a platform like this? Just ignore it. Everyone has the right to speak.
I would like to have advertising on the back of all the players and
they can be the playing bill boards and when they make the plays
we call them buy there advertiser instead of there names this is
great we want to live in a global world but we can't see past ourself
when it comes down to offending others I guess I won't be watching
the 700 club football
Mrs. Tebow is very fortunate that she had a choice between abortion or having Tim. Keep choice alive.
i wish she would learn how to properly construct a sentence. i respect her strength, but she sounds like a dingbat when she speaks because she's not very articulate. so annoying.
Seems to me that public add space on a public broadcast network is available to the highest bidder. If NOW wants to refute the add, they are just as welcome to cough up the money and buy their own Superbowl air time.
I'm sorry but I don't believe Pam Tebow's story at all. Abortion is VERY illegal in the Philippines so the notion that any doctor would recommend one (for any reason) just doesn't hold water. To allow the ad to run would be supporting a lie and making it seem as if abortion was a choice to women of the Philippines–which simply isn't the case.
NOW is afraid that you don't understand that before abortions were legal, women across the country were dying on kitchen tables or in bathtubs from botched illegal abortions. NOW is afraid that you don't understand that without legal abortion, you are legalizing a man to have a child with any woman he chooses, as long as she gets pregnant. If a sick man rapes a woman he wants to have a child with, without legal abortion, that woman has to have his child. You don't see a problem with this?
I'm glad for Tim and his mother. Every woman should have this "choice" available to them. I am pro-choice.
RvsW ever gets overturned, are we going to start seeing commercials at the Superbowl, showing mangled women from botched illegal abortions?
Sarah Palin is so wrong in some many levels. Focus on the Family has been ruthlessly attacking the Democratic Party.
Sarah Palin is a Christian Right know nothing. She wants to abolish abortion. Does she know what the consequences would be if we made abortion illegal again? No. She can not think beyond what she has been told. A true church robot.