TV abortion ads put on hold over election fears

By Urmee Khan, Digital and Media Correspondent Published: 7:30AM GMT 02 Mar 2010

Pro hold up campaigners are claiming the deficiency of the plans in the new report promotion formula as a "cautious victory".

The Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), the physique that sets out the manners for advertisers, due to concede recommendation services for profound women to publicize on air wave and air wave for the initial time in an bid to cut the teenage conceiving physically rate, that is the top in Europe.

First TV blurb for sunrise after tablet will enlarge teenage promiscuity New Roman Catholic personality condemns termination ads on TV Banned MND advert: is my suffering unequivocally as well intolerable for television? Mikheil Saakashvili: Georgia appeals to US for weapons to forestall new Russia fight Abortion plans for Northern Ireland deserted due to assent routine

Adverts for such services would have to have it transparent either it referred women for abortions.

However, the consultation, that began last March, was cursed rught away by anti-abortion groups.

Last night, the self regulatory physique pronounced that notwithstanding a new Broadcast Advertising Code due to be published "imminently" it would not be statute on this matter.

A matter said: "In Mar 2009, the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) consulted on a offer to embody a order in the BCAP Advertising Code about post-conception recommendation services. In new weeks, Ofcom and BCAP have identified a little superb counts for serve contention on the proposal. Both parties determine that this should not check the launch of new Broadcast Advertising Code, that BCAP intends to tell shortly.

"Therefore, when the new Broadcast Advertising Code is published, the regulatory on all sides for advertisements for post-conception recommendation services will sojourn unchanged."

This equates to advertisements for blurb post-conception recommendation services charity particular recommendation on personal problems will not be allowed.

And usually advertisements are usually excusable for family formulation centres authorized by a Local Health Authority, or alternative NHS bodies will be allowed.

The new formula is additionally approaching to confirm if condom adverts should be shown prior to the 9pm watershed.

However, the matter combined that "BCAP intends to have a apart regulatory matter on this theme at the beginning opportunity, but after the new Broadcast Advertising Code has been published."

A orator for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) described it as an a acquire stay of execution.

John Smeaton of SPUC said: "BCAP"s matter suggests there was strenuous antithesis to TV termination promotion in reply to their consultation.

"However, a word of caution: We goal that the matter is not conditioned by the imminent ubiquitous choosing and the enterprise to disguise a preference in foster of termination promotion on TV for that the supervision would be blamed generally in perspective of David Cameron"s debate last Jul when he said: "Even when a energy is substituted to a quango, the apportion stays responsible."

A BCAP orator this did not indispensably meant the plans had been rejected. "We might get this shift or we might not" he said.