First abortion ad to be aired

THE first British television commercial for abortion services will be screened next week, it was announced yesterday.

The ad for unplanned pregnancy and abortion advice at Marie Stopes clinics will “confront the taboo” and raise awareness of sexual health, the organisation said.

The campaign follows a study that found fewer than half (42%) of British adults knew where to go for specialist advice about an unplanned pregnancy other than their GP.

The survey also found that 76% of adults believed commercials for services offering advice on unplanned pregnancy should be allowed on television at appropriate times.

The ad asks “Are you late?” in reference to a woman who has missed her period and directs those facing an unplanned pregnancy to Marie Stopes International’s 24-hour helpline.

In 2008 a total of 195,300 abortions were performed on women living in England and Wales and 91% were funded by the NHS.