The Chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in a ruling dated 12 April 2013, stated that it had “No Grounds to Proceed” over a formal complaint lodged by “A. Charman” on 25 March 2013 about Family First’s “21 Great Reasons to Keep Marriage as is” brochure (Complaint No 13107).

To view and download the outstanding 24-page colour full brochure, highly recommended by SPCS and supplied to all MPs, go to:

http://www.nzmarriage.org.nz/21-Reasons-Why-Marriage-Matters.pdf

The complainant claimed that the brochure’s “extraordinarily offensive” on the grounds that it allegedly equates same-sex marriage with paedophilia and incest; denigrates children of same-sex couples and advocates for the need for children to have “a mother and a father” which was hurtful to children of single-parent and same-sex families.

The complainant also said the brochure was “inflammatory, largely incorrect and was filled with biases”.

[SPCS has assessed these complaints and determined that they are spurious and absurd and would not be supported by any reasonable-minded New Zealander]

However the ASA says the brochure is an advocacy advertisement of a religious nature which presents a point of view from a particular organisation which, in this case, advocates against the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill that’s currently before Parliament.

Its Chairman “acknowledged the sincere concerns” of the person who complained, but says the law allows for robust expression of belief or opinion in ads, irrespective of the message.

Please download and distribute this valuable resource: http://www.nzmarriage.org.nz/21-Reasons-Why-Marriage-Matters.pdf