Euthanasia ad campaign pulled before it airs

By David Blight | 13 September 2010
 

Free TV Australia has pulled a pro-euthanasia TV campaign because it breaches advertising rules forbidding a realistic depiction of suicide.

The ad was created by The Works on behalf of lobby group Exit International, and was set to launch yesterday but never aired.

The Works first learnt of the decision via Free TV Australia's CAD (Commercials Advice), which sent an email on Friday to Craig Bolles, the executive producer of Mosaic Films, who had been commissioned by The Works to produce the ad.

The email says that the ad is unsuitable for TV because it breaches a rule regarding the "depiction of methods of suicide, or promotion or encouragement of suicide".

It reads: "We have considered that an advertisement for voluntary euthanasia is a promotion or encouragement of suicide as voluntary euthanasia would be considered to be a subset of suicide. CAD has discussed the advertisement with the television networks and they are of the same view as CAD."

Exit International director, Dr Philip Nitschke, told AdNews: "The only communication we have had is this email. Everything was booked. We went through the appropriate channels, we had all of the permissions. But on Friday afternoon we received an email saying that approval had been removed."

The Works partner, Kevin Macmillan, said: "If 85% of Australians support voluntary euthanasia, we assume that 85% of Australians will be disappointed that this ad won't appear." Exit International spent in excess of $50,000 on the advertising campaign.

Nitschke said that plans to launch outdoor executions and TV ads in New Zealand were still going ahead, but he conceded that he was not certain if the campaign will be allowed to air.

The campaign was inspired by an episode of The Gruen Transfer in which advertising agency The Works produced a pro-euthanasia ad.

Is free TV and CAD right to ban the campaign? Have your say in the comments section below.

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