Abortion Storm Erupts Over 'Ultrasound' Jesus Ad

With 197 days left until Christmas, a planned holiday ad showing Jesus in the womb has triggered a new abortion controversy in Britain. The "Ultrasound Jesus" ad, set to appear on billboards in December, shows a fetus with a halo and announces: "He's on his way: Christmas starts with Christ." Secular critics charge that the ad by a Christian charity and backed by major churches is a politically motivated—and not very subtle—anti-abortion campaign in disguise, the Guardian reports.

Britain's National Secular Council says the image "is too specifically associated with pro-lifers to be seen in a benign context, and suggests its creators at ChurchAds "stick to angels and cribs." ChurchAds representatives say they are simply trying to be modern. "This is the kind of thing proud 'parents-to-be' show their friends and family—passing round the scan of the baby, or even pinning it up in the office," the group's chairman said. "Our poster reflects this new way of announcing the news of a new arrival and places the birth of Christ in an ultra-contemporary context." (More Christmas stories.)