A few years ago, there would never have been a question about the Focus on the Family Super Bowl ad featuring Tim Tebow and his mom, Pam. It’s a heartwarming story about a family who had to make a choice. Pam Tebow was doing missionary work in the Philippines, got sick and was advised by her doctor that she might want to abort her baby. They didn’t know if the illness would affect the baby, and with four other children and a husband depending on her, the option was put out there. Pam Tebow chose to have her baby and that baby turned out to be star quarterback for the University of Florida, Tim Tebow. As a dyed-in-the-wool University of Georgia Bulldog, I hate giving anything to the Florida Gators, but this is a great story.
The pro-abortion crowd has jumped all over this. Joy Behar, of The View, said instead of a great kid and a star football player, Tim Tebow could have just as easily become a pedophile rapist. What a new low. Others have said what if Tim was born a special-needs kid, what would Pam think then? What the left doesn’t understand is Pam would have loved him anyway. By choosing life, she was choosing life on whatever terms it was given to her. She would have loved and been just as proud of Tim no matter how he turned out and with a loving family of support like the Tebows, it’s not likely he would have been a “pedophile rapist.”
How is this story any different from a player profile showing a rags-to-riches story from a single-parent home to athletic stardom or from a poor background to a good education through the opportunity to play sports? Honestly, how is this any different than the president’s own story of a young mother unprepared to face her life after her child’s father left the picture. It’s an inspiring story of love and commitment to a family—their family—and we can learn a little from the faith of Pam Tebow.
But what really gets these guys, you know the abortion at any cost crowd, going is they couldn’t find a family that would make a commercial saying, “I’m glad I aborted my baby.” I’ve talked to women at all stages of life and no matter if they went on to do the “right thing,” have the “right kind of life,” there is always regret in the decision to abort.
I believe the casualty of the abortion debate, in addition to the millions of babies that haven’t been born, is the debate about adoption. We need to counsel women to consider adoption.
My daughter and I watch together the MTV show “16 and Pregnant.” I generally don’t like much on MTV since they stopped being a music channel, but she wanted to watch it and in our home, if we have a question, we watch it together and then decide. This show does not sugar-coat the experience and does not glorify being single and pregnant. One of the youngest couples decided to give their baby up for adoption and I applaud MTV for showing the truth. They’ve followed up this season with “Teen Mom” and it continues the lessons. It’s good watching for parents and teenagers together and will open up dialogue.
We have to continue to have this discussion. I’m pro-life but I’m not looking to make abortion illegal. I believe Roe v. Wade is bad law and will be overturned by the Supreme Court as the Dred Scott and Plessy v. Ferguson decisions were overturned, but until then, we need to celebrate life, be honest with our children and the young people in our lives and talk passionately and calmly about our pro-life positions.
To the Tebows and Focus on the Family, thank you for telling this story and I’ll be watching on Super Bowl Sunday. Go Saints!
Martha Zoller is a political analyst and conservative talk show host for WXKT FM 103.7 in Gainesville, Ga., and syndicated on The Georgia News Network. She is one of the Talkers Magazine “Heavy Hundred” Talk Shows in America. She is the author of “Indivisible: Uniting Values for a Divided America.” E-mail her at martha@marthazoller.com.