Pro-Abortion Ads Denied in Times Square

A pro-abortion coalition called Don’t Ban Equality sought to place an ad in Times Square in New York city but was denied space for their demonic message by every major billboard company.

Don’t Ban Equality is a coalition that brings businesses together to support abortion access. The billboard ad they sought to put up was meant to bring attention to a case that will be argued at the Supreme Court this upcoming week surrounding the abortion pill mifepristone.

The digital billboard was to read “Abortion access is every business’s business” along with a list of signatories endorsing the message.

Upon submission of their ad to TSX Broadway, Don’t Ban Equality received a rejection notice which read “Abortion and [sic] is a political topic in the U.S which is not allowed in our platform.” Hoping to secure a sign, the coalition changed their message from “abortion access is every business’s business” to “reproductive health is every business’s business.”

After their initial denial of a spot in Times Square to promote their pro-death messaging, changing their message text and bringing on board a media buying firm called Five Tier, the coalition was then rejected from all major digital billboards in Times Square.

A spokesperson stated, “We were surprised it was so challenging to place the ad … The rejections just piled up.”

Finally, one company that is women-led let the coalition place their ad on their billboard which is situated north of Times Square. The ad features the updated language that doesn’t use the word abortion but masks it with “reproductive rights” language, a common tactic to whitewash the gruesome reality of abortion.

Major billboard companies denying messaging that could be considered to be political from being placed on their prime real estate is nothing new. Groups seeking to put their support for Israel and Ukraine on display have also faced rejection.

Those who control the ads flashing before the millions of people that visit and commute through Times Square are obviously a little bit more risk averse than those right down the road. This served as a shock to Jen Stark who is the co-director of the Center for Business and Social Justice and Don’t Ban Equality leader as they have placed ads in the New York Times and other major publications using the word “abortion.”

The ad that ended up being run by the company led by women who wanted to remain anonymous, received funding and support from employers from Bumble, Yelp, Lyft, Warner Music Group and Match Group.

To Stark, the incident showed how crucial it still is to advocate for abortion rights—especially among businesses, like those that control New York’s most famous center of advertising. “It’s hard to protect a right if brands can’t talk about it,” says Stark. “Especially in Times Square, which is the town square for brands to give voice to issues they care about.”

In contrast, a major pro-family campaign was permitted to be shown on Times Square billboards by the pro-life diaper company, EveryLife.

The campaign featured a post by Elon Musk that read: “Having children is saving the world.” Below this, the billboard read: “Make more babies.”

“We did launch this massive campaign last week with a very clear message,” EveryLife President Sarah Seifert told EWTN News Nightly. “We were inspired by Elon Musk. He said, ‘Having children is saving the world,’ and we 100% endorse that message.”

Perspective

The case which is facing oral arguments at the Supreme Court that the coalition is seeking to bring attention to is being painted by many in the media, and by many groups like Don’t Ban Equality, as if it were solely about the abortion pills. However, the Supreme Court deciding whether the abortion drug should be on the market and continue to be accessible is not what is being debated because this in and of itself, is a policy issue and is not within the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction.

This case is, however, about holding the FDA responsible for their lack of safety measures (and even their revocation of pre-existing safety measures) regarding the abortion pill.

This is an issue that involves both the courts and executive branch agencies. Which means, above all, this case is about whether agencies, like the FDA, who have the ability to make immense decisions that have the potential to impact the lives of Americans in very significant ways, are actually following the law.

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