Two former professional athletes are calling for the "respect of women's choices" in response to the upcoming Super Bowl advertisement featuring the pro-life birth story of college football standout Tim Tebow.
The YouTube video, released by Planned Parenthood, features Olympic gold medalist Al Joyner and former NFL player Sean James. While James says he "respects and honors Mrs. Tebow's decision," every woman's decision must be "valued … trusted and respected."
"My mom showed me that women are strong and wise," James says in the advertisement. "She taught me that only women can make the best decisions about their health and their future."
In a statement accompanying the video, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said Tebow's story was "compelling," but added that every woman must be able to make important medical decisions for herself and her family.
"The Tebow story underlines what Planned Parenthood has learned from the millions of women doctors and nurses at its health centers have cared for over nearly a century," Richards' statement read. "Women take decisions about their health very seriously. They consider their doctors’ advice, they talk with their loved ones and people they trust, including religious leaders, and they carefully weigh all considerations before making the best decision for themselves and their families."
Joyner, meanwhile, said he trusts his daughter to "take care of herself" during the Planned Parenthood video.
"My daughter will always be my little girl," Joyner says. "But I am proud everyday as I watch her grow up to be her own person, a smart, confident young woman. I trust her to take care of herself. We celebrate families by supporting our mothers, by supporting our daughters. By trusting women."
Richards said Focus on the Family, the organization that paid for Tebow's 30-second advertisement to run on Sunday, is "far outside the mainstream" of American life.
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