NARAL blasts Doritos ad for 'humanizing fetuses,' gets mocked on Twitter
CHICAGO (Christian Examiner) – The abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America took to social media during the Super Bowl to blast a Doritos ad that showed an ultrasound – and then got plenty of pushback from viewers who were incredulous that anyone would have had a problem with the commercial.
The humorous ad shows a pregnant woman receiving an ultrasound as her husband stands by her side, watching.
"And there's your beautiful baby," the technician tells the mom, who is upset at her husband for munching on Doritos.
"He's eating Doritos at my ultrasound," the woman tells the technician. "Do you see what I have to deal with?"
Viewers then see the ultrasound monitor, which shows the baby reaching for a Dorito. Whenever the father moves the Dorito, the baby moves toward it. In the end, the baby does get the Dorito – by lunging out of the woman (viewers don't see that part).
After the commercial aired, NARAL, formerly the National Abortion Rights Action League, tweeted: "#NotBuyingIt - that @Doritos ad using #antichoice tactic of humanizing fetuses & sexist tropes of dads as clueless & moms as uptight. #SB50."
The Tweet had few defenders.
One person (@monan_chuck) wrote, "Humanizing fetuses? Yeah. Because if you don't want them, they're rhinoceroses, right? God help us...I mean that literally."
Another person (@docwashburn) tweeted, "'Humanizing fetuses'? What is Mom pregnant with? A potato? A duck? Nope - a human. Say it with me. She's a baby."
Still another (@sallyannwest) wrote. "When it comes to giving birth, dads ARE clueless and moms ARE uptight. Clearly you've never had a baby."
Among the other top responses:
"You can't be serious? You mean people go to prenatal visits and get excited about baby on the way?!" (@isla_78).
"Is this a parody account?" (@skidmorep).
"I know NO ONE came to your #SB50 party but do you have to be such humorless prigs all the time? Psst...babies are human" (@rogue_40).
"It was a chips commercial. Take a deep breath" (@misterlubbock).
NARAL never responded to the criticism but never deleted the Tweet, either. It was part of a NARAL Twitter campaign to critique "sexist" ads.