Super Bowl Ad Sparks Abortion Battle

Tim Tebow, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback for the Florida Gators, often refers to passages from the Bible in his eye black.

CBS appears to be holding firm in its decision to broadcast a 30-second Super Bowl commercial about the life of Tim Tebow, the University of Florida football prodigy who became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy.

The story of Tebow's rise in the world of college football is already well known. In addition to being the youngest Heisman winner ever, he's also the first college player to rush and pass for 20 touchdowns.

Incredible.

Yet the most improbable thing about Tebow may simply be that he's alive. His mother, Pam Tebow, was living in the Philippines when she was pregnant with Tim. She became ill with amoebic dysentery and at one point slipped into a coma. Doctors urged her to have an abortion, advising her that the treatment with antibiotics would result in grave and irreversible damage to her son. Pam, a Christian, refused their advice. She spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed, but gave birth to a healthy boy.

The tale, obvious fuel for the abortion debate, is recounted in a 30-second ad by the Christian organization Focus on the Family. It has been strongly opposed by a number of groups, including Feminist Majority and the National Organization for Women.

CBS has a compelling reason to stick to its guns. Thirty-second spots for the February 7 contest between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts have been selling for $2.5 million to $2.8 million. Last year, the Super Bowl attracted 98 million viewers and was the most popular TV event in the U.S. That is down from NBC's initial asking price of $3 million in 2009, but beyond the wildest dreams of the networks in 1980, when the cost was $700,000. A number of traditional Super Bowl advertisers, including Pepsi, GM, and Fedex, are sitting out this year's game. Given the slack demand for Super Bowl ads, it is highly unlikely that CBS is going to let a little controversy blow up a done deal.