Sex Party's euthanasia ad banned from television

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Published on Monday, 02 September 2013 05:10
Written by Nine News | ninemsn staff

 The Australian Sex Party has released a commercial promoting voluntary euthanasia ahead of the 2013 election.

A series of election commercials made by the Australian Sex Party have been banned from running on television just days before it was due to air.

The ads, which simply features the words "voluntary euthanasia",  breach the guidelines set by Commercials Advice (CAD) as they were deemed to promote suicide.

Guidelines from CAD, a division of FreeTV Australia, state commercials must not depict "realistic methods of suicide, or promotion or encouragement of suicide".

A 15-second advertisement titled "Dying With Dignity" features Australian Sex Party president Fiona Patten and a pitch about the party's core theme: "A vote for more freedom and less government".

But what has irked the Sex Party so much is that CAD initially approved the ads for broadcast in early August, only to backflip and ban them 48 hours before they were due to air on Sunday unless they were amended.

"Our ads neither depicted a method of suicide nor promoted or encouraged suicide – they simply stated the party's policy," Ms Patton, who is running as a Senate candidate for Victoria, said in a statement on the party's website.

 


August 30, 2013: The Australian Sex Party has released a cheeky campaign ad targeting drug and tax reform.

"CAD's backflip at the 11th hour is an embarrassment to media self-regulation in Australia and, in our opinion, unconstitutional."

Ms Patten told ninemsn the regulator suggested if the ad instead referenced a specific euthanasia bill introduced to parliament it may be approved.

The Sex Party is now considering if they will amend the ads and try to get them on air before the Wednesday night media advertising blackout.

A spokeswoman from CAD said they do not comment about commercial decisions.

The ban comes just days after a risqué Sex Party campaign ad went viral following its release online.

The ad highlights the issues the civil libertarian party will campaign on such as same-sex marriage, drug legalisation and tax reform.

Ms Patten told ninemsn the response to the main campaign ad had been "really positive".

Source: Nine News National