One Million Moms, a Christian conservative group, is upset that pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly highlighted transgenderism in one of its newest ads. A particular line in the narration of the ad struck the Christian group as offensive, especially when the line was accompanied by footage of a person who had double mastectomy scars.
The conservative Christian group is calling upon parents to protest the ad because of the line that said "the body you are randomly assigned at birth shouldn't determine how well you are cared for," the Christian Post reported.
It was accompanied by visuals of a woman with double mastectomy scars wearing an open shirt and identifying as a man. The ad also featured a diverse range of people of different races, disabled people, people of color, people of different gender identities, and more, in a bid to highlight inclusivity.
The voice over in the ad says that medicines are made for everyone, rich or poor, no matter where that person resides. "Medicine will not discriminate against the color of your skin. Medicine pays no attention to the borders we draw to divide ourselves from each other," the voice over states.
"Because the body you are randomly assigned at birth shouldn't determine how well you are cared for, or how hard we work to find answers," the Eli Lilly ad continues. "We make medicine not just for some, but for everyone."
"Can you imagine what goes through the mind of a child when he or she sees this ad?" the statement from One Million Moms read. The Christian organization is known for decrying organizations that produce ads and other content that push ideologies disguised as inclusivity and diversity.
"Lilly chose to air this commercial knowing it would be controversial," the group alleges, as per CBN News. "We all know children imitate what they see and repeat what they hear. Lilly should be ashamed!"
One Million Moms claims that instead of bringing people together with the ad, it will actually "push away customers" with its advertising material that sends a message in a "repulsive manner that offends parents." It also called upon parents saying, "do not approve of this advertising tactic!" and to share the "offensive commercial" with family and friends to get them to sign a petition which already has over 16,400 signatures.
"I'm not buying into your social agenda to push transgenderism. Your latest ad offends me and many other conservative consumers," the petition complained. "I won't be buying your products either. I'm taking Lilly off my shopping list since I will be purchasing from your competitors instead."
The YouTube ad also elicited a lot of backlash from people, particularly because of the its push of LGBT ideologies.
"Nothing about our bodies is of a "random" assign or design! It's all and was purposeful from the very beginning," a person named Diana Reeves commented.
"This is NUTS!!! Bodies are not randomly assigned! $ is what Lily has in mind here, don't be fooled folks," another person named Victoria B commented.
"Each person is fearfully and wonderfully made exactly who they were meant to be, NOT 'randomly assigned.'"
About Eli Lilly
Eli Lilly is an Indiana-headquartered American pharmaceutical company founded in 1876 by Colonel Eli Lilly, a pharmaceutical chemist and veteran of the American Civil War. It was responsible for mass producing the polio vaccine originally developed by Jonas Salk and pioneered developing insulin.
It is the largest manufacturer of psychiatric medications such as Prozac, Dolphine, Cymbalta, and Zyprexa. The company ranks 123rd in the Fortune 500 of 2019 and according to MarketWatch saw its stock rise on Monday, outperforming competitors such as Johnson & Johnson, which produces the COVID vaccine, Roche, and Merck. The company has a current market value of about $86 billion.
