Commercials Advice, the watchdog set up by Free TV Australia to classify and approve television commercials, has banned another pro-euthanasia commercial for promoting suicide. The decision comes just weeks after the body refused classification for a controversial ad produced by right-to-die lobby group Exit International.
According to YourLastRight.com, the group behind the ad, CAD banned the spot for failing to comply with regulation 2.17 of the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice. Section 2.17.5 of the code stipulates that “realistic depiction of methods of suicide, or promotion or encouragement of suicide is unsuitable for broadcast”.
Free TV confirmed to Crikey the ad had been refused classification under section 2.17.5 of the code and that the body expressed no view on the ethical and legal debate surrounding voluntary euthanasia. But Neil Francis, chairman and CEO of the YourLastRight.com campaign, told Crikey the ad was rejected despite receiving preliminary commercial approval from CAD.
“The only thing that they [CAD] advised us of the airing time — that it should not be on during children’s programs and of course we would have no interest in airing during those periods,” Francis told Crikey.
The 30-second commercial, which was due to air this Sunday on the major commercial networks, has instead been uploaded to YouTube in the hope it goes viral. Exit International’s pro-euthanasia ad, which was also banned under section 2.17.5 of the code after receiving pre-approval from CAD, has been viewed over 30,000 times since being posted on the video sharing site.
The YourLastRight.com commercial features historic moments in Australia’s history and a voiceover declaring voluntary euthanasia as a right, similar to the right to vote, the right to a fair working week and the right to own land:
“Today we all enjoy the right to live exactly the way we want, yet we still don’t have the right to choose how we want to die if we’re faced with torture of a terminal disease. Fair go Australia.”
Francis told Crikey the ad did not promote or encourage suicide and instead was designed to provoke debate over law reform: “CAD have taken this completely out of context. One would not want to promote irrational suicide in any way, but the nation is already holding a conversation about the right of someone who is terminally ill to seek or obtain the method of a peaceful death.”
Francis wouldn’t be drawn on the total cost of the commercial, but he told Crikey it was similar to the $30,000 figure attributed to the Exit International ad. YourLastRight.com is not affiliated with Exit International but an alliance of state and territory euthanasia groups.
“We would like CAD to reconsider the decision, we think they have reached the wrong conclusion but in the meantime people can see the ad on our website,” he said.
CAD’s decision comes after the Greens recently vowed to introduce a private members’ bill into parliament that would allow the states to legalise euthanasia. In 1995 the Northern Territory legalised euthanasia but the Howard government introduced legislation to override it.
Don’t get me wrong, I definitely think we should have the right to choose how we pass, especially if faced with a terminal illness -BUT- that ad doesn’t do the trick.
The music sounds as though it’s been taken from Pirates of the Caribbean and the voice over doesn’t suit.
I’m not ad-man, but I know it wouldn’t work on me.
The other ad that was rejected was much more worthwhile for the cause.
Were they trying to make it more peppy in order to get it over the line?
I’d have to agree with ELBL. This particular ad is an epic fail.
Whoever actually OK’d it, and presumably paid for it, was massively short changed.
It does nothing for the cause and (ironically) CAD has done them a huge favour.
I suspect they went with the rousing theme to avoid a hackneyed and depressing ad of old people dying horribly in their hospital beds. Cliches and compassion fatigue.
It could be better, but I’m all in favour of reframing the topic as something positive and a rights issue.
On a not unconnected issue – why does the ABC show Free TV’s infuriating ads which claim you get ‘more’ if you only watch channels they own? Another of Mark Scott’s strange attempts to show he’s part of the ‘real’ (ie commercial) world?
ELBL, the ad was made by a different organisation that has the same goal of legalising euthanasia (at least from what I gather).
Had a quick look at their website and they don’t seem to have all the parts of their site working fully (try the polliescanner for one…).
The basis for rejecting the ad seems like a big stretch though: how is the ad promoting suicide? If this ad promotes suicide, then we have bigger things to worry about (ie the people at CAD or a Big Brother/Nanny State problem).
And on a more personal opinon note: this ad seems like the 5-year old cousin of the Exit International ad…
http://currentglobalperceptions.blogspot.com/2010/09/euthanasia-guess-we-need-permission.html