Subject: Catholic Bishops Fund New Ad Campaign Opposing Abortion
Source: Newhouse News Service; August 28, 2001

Catholic Bishops Fund New Ad Campaign Opposing Abortion

Washington, DC -- Prompted by polls showing that Americans are unsettled
by the extent to which abortion is permitted, the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops will test-market an advertising campaign so sleek and
subtle that the public may not realize who is behind it.

The campaign, to be unveiled today, will challenge abortion supporters in
Philadelphia and southern New Jersey to answer the question: "Have we gone
too far_"

The ads have no religious content. They give no clue that the bishops'
conference is behind them.

If successful, the ads could be used nationwide as the pro-life movement
gains ground in the court of public opinion, said a spokeswoman for the
bishops' conference, based in Washington.

"What's new about this is we are presenting a couple of facts in a
nonemotional and intelligent way," said Cathleen Cleaver, secretariat for
pro-life activities. "We're not trying to provoke an emotional response
but an intellectual response."

One Catholic print ad shows a 20-something woman with a nine-month
calendar lightly superimposed over her torso. The text says: "Nine months.
The amount of time the Supreme Court says it's legal to have an abortion.
Abortion. Have we gone too far_"

A radio ad has piano music playing in the background, with a woman saying:
"In America you can choose to have an abortion at any time, for any
reason. Because of that, one out of every four pregnancies now ends in
abortion."

The bishops' media blitz begins Sept. 4.

Initially, plans were for 34 billboards at bus shelters, 143 ads on
commuter rail cars and continuous radio spots on five stations. But on
Monday, Cleaver learned that Philadelphia has joined at least one Philly
suburb in notifying the bishops that they will not permit the bus-shelter
ads.

The bishops are spending $250,000 in Philadelphia, hoping that regional
Catholic dioceses will be inspired to use the materials in their own
communities while picking up the tab, Cleaver said.

Asked directly why the bishops' group was not named in the ads, Cleaver
said the aim was simplicity and that additional content would clutter
them. She suggested that if the conference had something to hide, it would
not have issued a news release announcing the campaign as it already had.