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London (pte034/07.12.2004/12:00) - An advert linking the virgin birth of Jesus with a contraceptive pill has been withdrawn following religious complaints. As the Media Guardian http://www.mediaguardian.co.uk reports, there were 105 complaints about the poster advert for Levonelle One Step, a morning-after pill to the advertising watchdog. Several letters of protest were also sent to Schering Health Care, a division of the German pharmaceutical company Schering AG http://www.schering.de . The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is investigating the complaints and expects to make a judgement in the next few weeks.
The headline on the poster reads "Immaculate contraception? If Only. It might be Christmas time, but condoms still split and pills still get forgotten. So if your contraception lets you down, ask your pharmacist for Levonelle One Step." According to complainants, such as the National Association of Catholic Families, the poster was offensive on religious grounds. Others argued that the poster was irresponsible for promoting casual sex and that it trivialised the issue of unwanted pregnancies and abortion.
Schering has said it regrets any offence that may have been caused and that it will withdraw the advert immediately. "We are taking this step as a responsible manufacturer in recognition of the religious concerns expressed to us," said the company in a statement. "The advertisement was intended as a play on words to indicate that there is no such thing as immaculate contraception, hence the need for Levonelle."
According to Schering, it was still important to give women information about contraception. "This is especially true during the holiday period, when studies have shown rates of unprotected sex increase, leading to higher abortion rates in the new year." Levonelle, which calls itself "the easy way to ask for the morning-after pill" costs 24 pounds (34.76 euros) in Great Britain.
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