What some consider a controversial Super Bowl ad, Peggy Lowe is calling a blessing.
When the director of the local chapter of Bethany Christian Services, a nonprofit organization specializing in adoption and orphan care, lined up a speaker for the organization’s annual fundraising benefit, she had no idea just how relevant her choice would be.
Pam Tebow, mother of University of Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, will be speaking in Chattanooga at Bethany Christian Services’ “Go Family” Spring Benefit Banquet on April 9, where she will tell the story of her pregnancy with her son. Mrs. Tebow also will be discussing that topic in a 30-second ad – paid for by Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian group – during Sunday’s Super Bowl.
“It just turned out to be very timely for us that they’re doing that and bringing attention to that whole issue that we’re about,” Ms. Lowe said. “Everybody’s very interested now in hopefully hearing the rest of the story.”
Ms. Lowe said Mrs. Tebow was chosen as the event’s speaker because of “how she chose life for (Tim) even when the doctors were encouraging her to abort him.” She said the commercial couldn’t have come at a better time for her organization.
“This is just sort of the icing on the cake for us to have this come up right before our banquet,” Ms. Lowe said. “I feel like the momentum is really starting to build now and people are interested.”
But the ad doesn’t have everyone as excited as Ms. Lowe. For some, it has been another spotlight on the hotly debated abortion issue.
Mark Huffman, vice president of education and training for Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee, said his organization respects the rights of entities to show ads promoting their point of view.
“I find it ironic though,” he said. “Because if Focus on the Family had its way, there would be a one-size-fits-all law about abortion, and women like Pam Tebow would not be able to weigh all the options for themselves but would again have to comply with broad mandates.”
Mr. Huffman said his organization’s view is that “every woman should have the ability to make such important medical decisions for herself and her family, rather than complying with a one-size-fits-all approach.”
“We would hope that people would see that what is central to the Tebow story is we must respect the ability for each woman to make these decisions for herself,” he said.