Well, the apocalyptic Tim Tebow ad that was going to bring about the End of Abortion As We Know It aired last night during the Super Bowl, and turned out to be mostly a funny teaser. In case you haven’t seen it, here it is:

Focus on the Family knew that there was no way to effectively tell the Tebows’ story in just thirty seconds (a reality some of the critics harped on), so they gave hints–Pam Tebow refers to Tim as their “miracle baby”–and then had the Heisman Trophy winning son tackle his mother, who says she’s much tougher than he is. It’s very much in the Super Bowl commercial tradition, and invites people to learn more about the Tebows’ story at Focus’ web site.

So how do the critics react? Why, Tim “tackling” his mother is an instance of domestic violence! Ed Morrissey at Hot Air dug up a couple right off. Blogger Amanda Marcotte sets the tone on Twitter:

Tebow: Hey Mom! Tried to kill you from the womb and failed. How about a blind side tackle? Violence against Moms

The Los Angeles Times found a couple of feminists who were right on top of this violence against women angle:

The Women’s Media Center, which had objected to Focus on the Family advertising in the Super Bowl, said it was expecting a “benign” ad but not the humor. But the group’s president, Jehmu Greene, said the tackle showed an undercurrent of violence against women.

“I think they’re attempting to use humor as another tactic of hiding their message and fooling the American people,” she said.

And the president of the National Organization for Women played the victim card:

NOW president Terry O’Neill said it glorified violence against women. “I am blown away at the celebration of the violence against women in it,” she said. “That’s what comes across to me even more strongly than the anti-abortion message. I myself am a survivor of domestic violence, and I don’t find it charming. I think CBS should be ashamed of itself.”

Not all pro-aborts were so humorless or dense, however:

Not all abortion-rights supporters agreed. “It’s absurd to claim that this is an endorsement of violence against women,” said Frances Kissling, former president of Catholics for Choice. “These people came across as affectionate, loving, funny and happy.”

But some were nevertheless relentlessly on message. USA Today quotes the Rev. Bennett Guess, the United Church of Christ’s point man for ridiculous media campaigns:

I found the ad typical of Focus on the Family’s longstanding approach –utilize attractive, popular and poised spokespersons to enlist surface support from unsuspecting people for a zealous political organization that serves and supports only the narrowest view of the word ‘family.’ Through its diligent work to criminalize reproductive choice and birth control, deny civil rights protections for gays and lesbians, scapegoat immigrants, and reduce support for our nation’s public schools, Focus on the Family’s ad doesn’t begin to tell their full story.

The reality is that Pam Tebow was presented with a difficult choice and, faced with a moral dilemma, she made the decision which was the right one for her. I am happy the decision was hers to make, both legally and ethically, in consultation with those who love and care for her, as it should be for all women.

Translation: Yada yada Focus on the Family evil yada yada hates gays yada yada ad deceptive yada etc.

More to come, I’m sure.