A Calgary, Canadian forced birther group, going by the egregiously misleading name, “Canadian Center for Bioethical Reform,” (CCBR) tried to buy their way in to using Canada’s bus system to publicize their hate-filled, anti-woman agenda.
A Canadian judge says an anti-abortion group cannot put their ads up on public buses in the city of Grande Prairie, Alberta because they might cause “psychological harm” to women who have had an abortion.” The offending ad contains pictures of fetuses and reads, “Abortion kills children. End the killing.” (Due to the nature of the ad, I’m not going to post a picture, but if you’re curious, you’re can find it here.)
The ruling comes after the anti-abortion group called the Canadian Center for Bioethical Reform appealed the city’s decision not to run the ads. Judge C. S. Anderson explained the decision against the ads also had to do with how it might impact young people.
“They may not be familiar with the word abortion, but they can read and understand that ‘something’ kills children,” the judge wrote. “Expression of this kind may lead to emotional responses from the various people who make use of public transit and other users of the road, creating a hostile and uncomfortable environment.”
Canadian Judge bans anti-abortion ads on public buses ...
An article in Huffington Post Canada, however, notes that some other Canadian cities have bowed to the CCBR’s demands. Note the far worse (warning: gory) graphic billboard displayed in Kelowna, BC, as shown in the article.
Last year the group said it would take the City of Peterborough, Ont., to court if it would not to allow the anti-abortion ad to be posted on city buses.
The city later agreed to run the ad, but has not yet done so, Arthur said Tuesday.
Joyce Arthur of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada says the ruling should prompt other communities to reject such ads. "We urge the City of Peterborough to act now to safeguard the rights and safety of its citizens by taking whatever legal means possible to ensure this ad does not appear," she said.
"Further, we ask that the city issue a public statement within the next month to inform residents about the issue, and assure them that the ad has been rejected."
Alberta Abortion Ad Ruling
The conservative Washington Times noted that the CCBR may appeal the decision.
“The right to free speech depends on respect for your audience and their right to avoid your message,” Ms. Arthur told LifeSiteNews. “The decision is significant, and shows that anti-choice groups like the CCBR are wrong to wield their right to free speech like a bludgeon against the public.”
CCBR told the website that it was “looking at an appeal” for the court’s decision.
Pro-Life Group's Bus Ads Banned by Canadian Judge