Lilith
12-16-2004, 07:27 AM
(submitted by gekkogecko)
Oddly Enough - Reuters
By Jackie Dent
LONDON (Reuters) - A Christmas campaign for an
"immaculate contraception" morning-after birth control
pill has been scrapped by a drug company in Britain
after causing offence on religious grounds.
The poster, which appeared on London Underground
trains, asked: "Immaculate contraception? If only."
"It might be Christmas time," it read, "but condoms
still split and pills still get forgotten. So if your
contraception lets you down, ask your pharmacist for
Levonelle One Step."
Schering Health Care, a subsidiary of Schering AG of
Germany, said in a statement it had decided to
withdraw the "inappropriate" advert after receiving
several letters.
"We take this step as a responsible manufacturer in
recognition of the religious concerns expressed to
us," it said. "This advertisement was intended as a
play on words to indicate that there is no such thing
as immaculate contraception."
The poster also prompted 109 complaints to Britain's
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which has
launched a formal investigation into the advert.
An ASA spokeswoman said most of the complaints,
including one from the National Association of
Catholic Families, related to religion.
Others found the advert irresponsible because they
felt it encouraged casual sex and trivialized unwanted
pregnancies.
Oddly Enough - Reuters
By Jackie Dent
LONDON (Reuters) - A Christmas campaign for an
"immaculate contraception" morning-after birth control
pill has been scrapped by a drug company in Britain
after causing offence on religious grounds.
The poster, which appeared on London Underground
trains, asked: "Immaculate contraception? If only."
"It might be Christmas time," it read, "but condoms
still split and pills still get forgotten. So if your
contraception lets you down, ask your pharmacist for
Levonelle One Step."
Schering Health Care, a subsidiary of Schering AG of
Germany, said in a statement it had decided to
withdraw the "inappropriate" advert after receiving
several letters.
"We take this step as a responsible manufacturer in
recognition of the religious concerns expressed to
us," it said. "This advertisement was intended as a
play on words to indicate that there is no such thing
as immaculate contraception."
The poster also prompted 109 complaints to Britain's
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which has
launched a formal investigation into the advert.
An ASA spokeswoman said most of the complaints,
including one from the National Association of
Catholic Families, related to religion.
Others found the advert irresponsible because they
felt it encouraged casual sex and trivialized unwanted
pregnancies.