“I AM smiling.”

Representative Jim Moran (D-VA) has seen them … and you’d be hard pressed to see a smile on his face when he talks about the ads.

“A number of people,” he says, “have come up, including colleagues, and said I’m fed up. I don’t want my three or four-year old grandkid asking me what erectile dysfunction is all about. And I don’t blame them.”

Enter H.R. 2175. That’s a bill that Rep. Moran introduced last month that would prohibit any ED ads from airing on broadcast radio and TV between 6AM and 10PM….

CNN asked Pfizer, which makes Viagra, the first pill available by prescription to treat ED, what they thought of Rep. Moran’s bill.

“Pfizer is committed to responsible advertising… In line with our policies and the policies of the industry, Viagra advertising is aired in shows most likely to reach men suffering from erectile dysfunction. ED can be a signal for other serious medical issues, including high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease”….

Rep. Moran [says,] “It is an intrusion into the quality of life that we like to experience…. You know enough is enough. This is inappropriate.”

It sounds like some people need some training in answering kids’ questions. They’re going to ask them. Hiding under a rock won’t help. You give them an answer “appropriate” for their age and understanding. At an early age, that answer can be very general and non-specific, like if a four-year-old asked, “What’s a spleen?”

Thanks, K B