UK: Pro-life Christmas ad campaign criticized

A British inter-denominational Christian organization has been criticized for unveiling a Christmas advertisement campaign that some say has an obvious pro-life message.

The “Baby-Scan Jesus” campaign, by ChurchAds.Net, is intended to remind everyone of the Christian roots of the celebration of Christmas. It features posters with an ultrasound image of a baby with a halo around its head with the caption “He’s on his way: Christmas starts with Christ.” 

ChurchAds.Net in a statement, that the ad is "It is highly impactful. It has a sense of immediacy. It creates anticipation. And theologically it speaks of both the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ."

There is no doubt that it will capture people’s attention, generate headlines and create countless conversations about the true meaning of Christmas." 

Some critics are saying the poster’s similarity to images used by pro-life groups gives the campaign a political tone.

Terry Sanderson, director of U.K. atheist-rights group National Secular Society, told London’s Guardian newspaper that the ad's pro-life message will cause the campaign to backfire. Sanderson said “It is an incredible piece of naivety on their part. If they are hoping to stop the secular drift away from Christmas as a Christian festival, they risk doing the opposite. It gives the impression that it was politically motivated, that they are trying to put across some sort of subliminal message. The image is too specifically associated with pro-lifers to be seen in a benign context. They should go back to angels and cribs.”

Pro-life groups see it as strongly positive message. 

“The advert is saying that Jesus was alive as a person before he was born. They have a halo round his head and you don’t have a halo around the head of a blob of jelly or a cluster of cells. This is not a cluster of cells but a human person and it just happens to be the God man Jesus. It is about the humanity of the unborn. That is a very, very powerful statement that will strike a chord with the general population,” said John Smeaton, of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child.

For its part, ChurchAds.Net denies the campaign is anything more than a simple Christmas message.

“People are entitled to talk about it, but when the posters are put up, from the 6 till 20 December, it will be seen in context and its real message will become clear,” ChurchAds Mike Elms said.