'Immaculate Contraception' Ad Withdrawn

[Moloch]

LONDON (Reuters) - A Christmas campaign for an "immaculate contraception" morning-after birth control pill has been scrapped by a drug company in Britain after causing offence on religious grounds.

The poster, which appeared on London Underground trains, asked: "Immaculate contraception? If only."

"It might be Christmas time," it read, "but condoms still split and pills still get forgotten. So if your contraception lets you down, ask your pharmacist for Levonelle One Step."

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news/story.jsp?id=2004120809050002965312&dt=20041208090500&w=RTR&coview=

[Richardo]

1. From the company that brought you 'Ramadan Weight Loss Pills'...

...and "L'il Hindu" Hamburgers and Steaks.

What else can we think of that would be patently offensive to the largest number of people?

[madrchsod]

2. george bush burgers?

[bunkerbuster1]

4. Good Friday's lumberyard

Nails and boards a speciality!

[KingChicken]

7. Nice, I like that one... I know some nuts that would freakout...

[TahitiNut]

10. The Assumption Casket Company.

"If your loved one's remains are Left Behind ..."

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. How about the Immaculate Reception?

That Pittsburgh has talked about for over 30 years? Sorry, I forgot that football is sacred in Pittsburgh too, so that's not a problem ...

[Bat Boy]

3. And it would have made sucha great "stocking stuffer."

Oh, well. There's still Christmas Xanax.

That's a tradition around our house.

[DemBones DemBones]

5. Today, December 8, is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception,

a Holy Day for Catholics. They didn't bring out this ad now just because of Christmas.

[Sabriel]

6. Hanukkah Oil Company

They'll make our world reserves stretch for another 800 years....

[Warren DeMontague]

14. Excellent idea

Unfortunately the Ancient Jews understood conservation, an un-American concept totally lost on today's hummer-driving populace.

[Retrograde]

8. if you're going to be offensive

at least get the basics right. "immaculate conception" is not the same as "virgin birth": the former refers to Mary's being conceived free of any taint of sin while the latter refers to Mary's giving birth without the assistance of a human father.

And on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of all days....

[TahitiNut]

9. I guess it was the wrong Assumption, huh?

:evilgrin:

[Nihil]

20. *snort*

:spank:

Nice one!

:toast:

[baba]

11. So Mary was born of a virgin mother as well? n/t

[regnaD kciN]

19. No, but...

...it's probably too convoluted to explain here, and involves theology that presupposes an actual Adam and Eve.

To put it in its simplest terms, it relates to the doctrine of "original sin," which says that all humankind (descended from A&E) inherits their tendency to sin. (Yes, that does make sin a sexually-transmitted disease!) Mary, according to the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, was miraculously prevented from inheriting this tendency, so that she would be pure enough to be the mother of God incarnate.

It was a "pious belief" for many centuries, but not raised to the status of dogma until the mid-19th century, under circumstances that strike this Anglican as more political than theological (it had to do with the Pope claiming "infallibility" in teaching). Beyond that, I will comment little, not being a member of the denomination that holds to said teaching. Would any Roman Catholics like to comment further?

[Voltaire99]

12. Pity. That's a great pun. (n/t)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

16. My thought, precisely.

[Warren DeMontague]

13. Forgive me if I save my outrage

for more important things.

Institutionally covering up for child molesters? That's offensive. Siding with Sudan and Iran to fight against birth control on a planet with a couple billion too many people? That's offensive.

Forgive me if I don't spend a whole lot of time sympathetically boo-hooing for the poor, maligned Catholic Church.

[Ian David]

17. Can anyone find the ad?

[VegasWolf]

18. Shame, I thought the ad had a nice Christmasy feel to it. n/t