Astronauts Launch Pro-Life TV Ad Commemorating 40th Anniversary of Neil Armstrong's First Moonwalk

Houston, TX (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-life group whose first two television commercials were rejected by NBC and CNN has unveiled a new ad that promote the potential of human life. The ads feature clips of astronaut Neil Armstrong and they have the support of top astronauts Dr. Joseph Kerwin and Gene Krantz.

Featuring video images of a 3-D ultrasound of an unborn baby, a message shows saying, "At 5 weeks, his heart will beat, at 9 weeks his feet will form, at 80 weeks he will take his first step."

The images move to a scene of Armstrong landing on the moon and audio of his famous words saying it was "one giant leap for mankind."

The message concludes, "at 2,024 weeks ... Life, Imagine the Potential."

Dr. Joseph Kerwin, the first American doctor in outer space, joined other former NASA greats yesterday at a press conference sponsored by the Catholic pro-life group Fidelis, the creator of the new advertisement and its popular web site CatholicVote.org.

The event commemorated both the fortieth anniversary of Apollo 11’s historic landing on the moon and the new ad buy from Fidelis.

“For thousands of years, man has looked at the moon and the stars in awe. But forty years ago, we did the unthinkable: We landed on the moon. This new ad by CatholicVote.org captures the spirit of this historic mission by highlighting the potential of human life,” Kerwin said.
Gene Krantz, best known as the flight director at mission control manager during Apollo 13, was also on hand to premiere the ad.

Brian Burch, the president of the group, told LifeNews.com that putting a man on the moon was once thought impossible.

“Neil Armstrong will go down in history as one of the greatest explorers. His long journey to the moon started, as each of us started, with a small kick in our mother’s womb,” said Burch. “Today, we salute the astronauts of Apollo 11 and all other brave pioneers who give meaning to the potential of every human life.”

With today marking the anniversary of the liftoff of Apollo 11 and July 20 marking the anniversary of the first moonwalk, the new Fidelis pro-life commercial comes at an appropriate time.

In a note to supporters of the organization, Kerwin talked more about the new "Imagine" television commercial. He said it would "be running regularly on local Houston television stations for the next several weeks."

"Their new ad is already creating buzz in Houston, and I can't wait for the rest of the country to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11 with this new ad," he said.

"Next Monday, media outlets around the world will commemorate the historic achievement of Apollo 11. The courage and dedication of the astronauts aboard Apollo 11, and hundreds of others involved in our nation's space program make me proud of our great country," Kerwin added. "But most importantly, the achievements of the space program remind me of the potential of every human life."

"May we never cease to marvel at the gift, and potential of every human life," he concluded.

Retired astronaut Dr. Bill Thornton also joined Kerwin and Kranz at the press event.

Fidelis sponsored an ad that NBC and CNN rejected but that was viewed over 1.8 million times on the Internet thanks to the controversy generated by the censorship. A previous ad focused on adoption.