It has been announced in the media that an advertisement for a post-conception advice service will, for the first time, be broadcast on UK television. The ASA would like to clarify the rules that surround advertisements in this sector.

Non-commercial providers of post-conception advice services have long been permitted to advertise on television in the UK. There has been no change to the Advertising Code or the law in this regard.

Any ad that airs has to comply with all the relevant rules in the Advertising Code, which aims to ensure that ads are not misleading. Ads must also adhere to responsibility rules that are designed to protect children and vulnerable groups and prevent ads from causing serious or widespread offence. TV ads are checked against the rules before they are broadcast.

If viewers have concerns about the content or scheduling of the ad, the Advertising Standards Authority is able to consider complaints once the ad has aired. However, we cannot act on objections that viewers might have about the service being advertised at all.

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