BCAP announces new proposals for advertising post-conception advice services
The broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) has announced a public consultation on proposals for the regulation of broadcast advertisements for post-conception advice services (PCAS).
The announcement follows news last year that a commercial for abortion information charity Marie Stopes had drew the seventh highest number of complaints to the ASA of all time.
Currently, there are no rules against PCAS’s advertising on television or radio, as long as the information given is not misleading.
In the consultation document BCAP states: “Commercially-based PCAS are currently prevented from advertising on television by the general rule prohibiting advertising for commercial services offering individual advice on personal or consumer problems.
“Commercial and charitable family planning centres (FPC) may currently advertise on radio, but only if they have appropriate local authority or NHS approval.”
Under the proposals the BCAP calls for greater clarity in the information provided in PCAS advertising and for all such companies to provide medical credentials before being allowed to advertise.
In exchange the rules preventing commercial services from advertising on TV would be lifted, along with those relating to approvals for family planning clinics.
According to BCAS, the effect of these proposals would be to allow more types of PCAS to advertise on radio and TV. At the same time there would be increased transparency in relation the exact nature of the PCAS provided, namely whether the service would not refer women for a termination.