TBS to Show Ad-Free ‘Night of Pro-Choice’

In a move reminiscent of the advocacy approach it has taken in the past on issues such as environmentalism, Turner Broadcasting has scheduled what the network calls “a night of pro-choice programming” on its TBS cable station tonight.

For two hours, starting at 5:05 p.m. on the West Coast, the cable channel will air three documentaries about contraception and abortion. According to TBS executive vice president and general manager Terry Segal, there will be no special efforts made to present the views of those who are opposed to abortion.

“We don’t feel we have to apologize for how we present this particular topic,” said Segal, who points out that Turner presents anti-abortion views in its Cable News Network and in advertisements that anti-abortion groups are allowed to purchase on the company’s cable channels. “We feel that we do a very good job of providing news and informational programs regarding both sides.”

In the past, Segal said, Turner has followed controversial programs with panel discussions in which both sides were represented, but no such discussion was set to air tonight.

The network hopes to avoid a possible backlash from advertisers over the programs by running them commercial-free.

Segal said that this is the first time the cable network has decided to show programs without attempting to sell ads. The idea, he said, is to make it impossible for anti-abortion groups to threaten boycotts against would-be sponsors.

The first program scheduled in the lineup is “Contraception: The Stalled Revolution.” Hosted by journalist Linda Ellerbee, it looks at the influence of abortion politics on research into contraception.

“Science Held Hostage: RU 486 and the Politics of Abortion,” which airs at 6:05 p.m., discusses the influence that the U.S. ban on the controversial French abortion pill will have on further research. Hosted by Cybill Shepherd, the 30-minute program includes interviews with two women who had crude, illegal abortions before the procedure was made legal in the United States. It claims that if the ban on RU 486 were lifted, the pill might be shown to be effective in treating illnesses such as Cushing’s syndrome, glaucoma and cancer.

The last program of the evening, “Whose Choice?,” at 6:35 p.m., features Sarah Weddington, the attorney whose arguments before the Supreme Court in the case of Roe vs. Wade made abortion legal in the United States. The film includes interviews with mainstream religious leaders who support abortion rights.

Segal said that the impetus for showing the three documentaries came from TBS founder Ted Turner, who favors abortion rights.