Last Christmas, Columbia Records, which is owned by Sony, released a CD entitled O Come All Ye Faithful: Rock for Choice. Proceeds from this “Christmas” album were earmarked to promote legal abortion and were distributed to Rock for Choice, a group of pro-abortion musicians; Rock for Choice was founded by the pro-abortion organization, the Feminist Majority. In the promotional material accompanying this CD, legal abortion was dubbed “the most spiritual of gifts.”
After the CD was released, many influential Catholic leaders and organizations (including the Catholic League) registered their outrage at Sony President, Thomas Mottola. The response that was provided by the Senior Vice President for Communications, Patricia Kiel, was uniformly obnoxious: we were told that Sony “regrets” that the album has caused us “such concern and discomfort.”
The next person that leading Catholics, and Protestants, contacted was Norio Ohga, Chairman and CEO of Sony in Japan. He didn’t even have the courtesy to reply. So in June, the Catholic League contacted Mr. Mottola outlining its new strategy. William Donohue explains what followed:
“Last month I informed Sony President Mottola that unless he retired the offending CD, I would publish an Op-Ed page ad in the New York Timescalling for a boycott of all Sony products; the ad would appear just as the Christmas shopping spree begins, the week before Thanksgiving. In addition, I pledged to garner the support of dozens of Christian, Jewish and Muslim organizations, as well as many pro-life groups, denouncing Sony in a press conference for its irresponsibility.
“I am happy to report that today I received a letter from Mr. Mottola stating that ‘We have no plans of re-releasing this album or another similar album this Christmas.’ He wants us to believe that ‘the sales cycle of this album has run its course.’ Let him say what he wants—we are only too glad he got the message.”
