U.S. Bishops Announce Free Pro-life Ad Designs

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA) - The Pro-life Secretariat of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has announced that it is offering print advertisements on stem cell research and abortion for the free use of dioceses and other pro-life groups.

One ad focuses on scientific advances in stem cell research, claiming the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) render obsolete the use of stem cells derived from destroyed human embryos.These newly discovered cells may be derived from ordinary body cells and are believed to be similar in research and therapeutic potential to embryonic stem cells.

The ad depicts a commuter on a train and asks "Science is moving on. Isn't it time for public policy to get on board?"

Another advertisement discusses the use of adult stem cells in treatments, directing readers to www.stemcellresearch.org.It uses the tagline "Adult Stem Cell Research. Let's Find Cures We Can All Live With."

A third advertisement in full-color examines the permissiveness of abortion laws under Roe v. Wade, bearing the words "The human heart begins to beat at 22 days. Roe v. Wade says a doctor can stop it for the next 244....Have we gone too far?"The ad directs readers to www.secondlookproject.org for more information.

The last ad opposes the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), which is designed to mandate taxpayer funding for abortions and eliminate almost all current laws regulating abortion.

The ad asks Congress to "Pledge now to oppose FOCA" and features a graphic of a red octagonal sign bearing the word "GO" instead of "STOP." "You can't reduce abortions by promoting abortions. If you agree, oppose the 'Freedom of Choice Act'," it exhorts.

The ads first appeared in the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, which was distributed at the Democratic National Convention in Denver and the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

The ads, available at www.usccb.org/prolife/media, are available for Catholic dioceses and other pro-life groups nationwide to download and print unaltered free of charge.

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