Ad Supporting Roe V. Wade Crosses The Line To Truly Disgusting [Commentary]

COMMENTARY | I want want to make it clear, from the very beginning, that I support a woman’s right of choice. Although the legal limits I would place on abortion would be somewhat stricter than many supporters of Roe v. Wade would like, I am absolutely fine with abortion during the the first 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy and in the case of rape or serious medical complications for the mother. What I am completely against is the sort of behavior and attitude that was exemplified by the absolutely DISGUSTING advertisement in support of Roe v. Wade released yesterday by the Center for Reproductive Rights.

The commercial features an actor I have never heard of before named Mehcad Brooks, who was a cast member on the USA Network program Necessary Roughness. The ad is titled “Happy 40th Anniversary, Baby” and the action takes place in an elegant mansion.

Brooks is ensconced in an 18th century wing chair in front of a marble fire place, complete with a roaring fire. He sits there impeccably attired, smiling seductively as he drinks from his crystal wine glass. Savoring every sip, Mehcad picks up a single, perfect, long stemmed red rose from the mahogany candle stand by the side of his chair.

Wagging the rose like he is pulling on a leash, Brooks begins his pillow talk. “You think I forgot. I didn’t forget. How could I ever forget our anniversary.” Grinning like a hot to trot wolf from ear to ear, he continues his sexual spiel as if he is talking to the love of his life; the person who shared 40 years of a wonderful, fulfilling romantic relationship.

And then it hits you. This man isn’t talking to a woman he loves. He is talking about Roe v. Wade and celebrating the 40th anniversary of a woman’s right to have an abortion. He isn’t celebrating love. Lets be blunt. He is celebrating the right to use a suction device to suck an unborn fetus from a woman’s insides to terminate a pregnancy.

While we may all differ over abortion rights, the trashy display in this ad is simply beyond the pale of good taste and human decency. It is every bit as vile as an angry 250 pound man parading up and down in front of a health clinic carrying a sign with a photograph of a pile of aborted fetuses in a dumpster, while he screams in the face of a terrified teenager desperate to have an abortion before her step-dad beats her to death for getting pregnant. It is every bit as vile as Scott Roeder granting interviews to justify the murder of Dr. George Tiller because he performed abortions.

As a man, I often ask myself what my place is when I discuss abortion rights with a woman who actually may endure nine difficult months of pregnancy, the pain and tribulation of childbirth, and the possibility of months of debilitating postpartum depression. Therefore, I will bow out gracefully and share the words of several prominent American woman, as they speak about this ad and the subject of abortion.

First, lets hear from Justin Bieber’s mother, Patti Mallete, who is the executive producer of an anti-abortion film:

“I hope my film will encourage young women all over the world, just like me, to let them know that there is a place to go, people who will take care of you and a safe home to live in if you are pregnant and think you have nowhere else to turn.”

The reaction to the ad from the women who host Fox’s The Five was one of anger, outrage, and disgust. Andrea Tantaros led off with these comments:

“If you are pro-life, or if you’re pro-choice, I think everybody can agree there is something tasteless about this ad. It seems to glorify and sexualize abortion. I don’t think one woman out there celebrates the anniversary of her abortion. So we as women, whether you’re pro-life or not, do we want to hear a man who has no idea what it’s like to be pregnant or have an unexpected pregnancy lecturing us or trivializing it?”

Co-host Dana Perino nodded in agreement, saying:

“The whole thing is chilling. Who comes up with this? They sit around to think about how they can get someone to be provocative enough to get to us talk about it. It’s appalling. This makes a mockery of the pro-choice movement.”

Also speaking about the ad was the niece of Martin Luther King, Alveda King, director of African-American Outreach at Priests for Life:

“A young woman in her 20’s sent me her reaction and I think it’s so compelling. This young woman wrote: ‘I feel molested after seeing it. Skanky, fitting for what it celebrates, sick. Is he married to abortion?'”

“I felt violated and felt like I was observing evil personified. These abortion people think they can say anything. Women should be outraged. I’m post-abortive and it just brought my emotions to the surface. As an African-American man, Mehcad Brooks should be shielding women from abuse and working to foster new generations of good men.”

Watch the advertisement for yourself and make up your own mind. I think is unspeakably vile and degrades every single wonderful woman on this beautiful planet. What is your opinion?