FOX, CBS Refuse To Air Condom Ad — Safe Sex Advocate Calls Refusal Hypocritical

NEW YORK The FOX and CBS networks recently refused to broadcast a condom advertisement that depicts pigs turning into men when they purchase condoms.

In the past, both networks have allowed Trojan condom ads which stress the possibility of HIV infection.

Safe sex advocates note, however, that these networks have contradicting themselves since their television shows depict sexual content in prime-time viewing hours. They point to FOX’s Temptation Island, Paradise Hotel, and The O.C., which are directed at teens, and CBS’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, called the network’s refusal “the height of hypocrisy.”

“For years, FOX and CBS have been taking sex to the bank. They have a responsibility to promote good public health practices, including using condoms to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections,” said Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

CBS said that the Trojan ad was not “appropriate” to air “even with late-night only restrictions.” FOX said that condom ads “must stress health-related issues rather than the prevention of pregnancy.”

Planned Parenthood strongly disagreed, noting that the networks have a responsibility to promote responsible decision-making as well as addressing unintended pregnancy as a major public health issue.

About half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended, according to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s leading reproductive health care advocate and provider. This year, more than 750,000 teens will become pregnant and four million will contract a sexually-transmitted infection, it added.

The ad will still see the light of day on the two other Big Three networks, NBC and ABC, as well as nine cable stations, 11 magazines, and seven websites.