Please contact City of Peterborough to cancel anti-choice ads on buses

Summary of Issue:  You can view the ad here. The City of Peterborough initially refused to run the ad, but in Feb 2016 reversed its decision due to a lawsuit threat by the anti-choice group CCBR (“Canadian Centre for Bio-ethical Reform”). Despite this, the CCBR obtained a court order forcing the city to run the ad. Meanwhile, other jurisdictions in Canada refused to run the ad and several went to court. At least two are still fighting CCBR lawsuits, but the City of Grande Prairie emerged victorious on Dec 22, in a strong decision by the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta. The court ruled that the CCBR’s free speech rights were outweighed by the harm the ad would cause to Grande Prairie’s ability to “maintain a safe and viable community”. Further, the court said the ad would likely cause psychological distress to women who have had an abortion or may be considering one, as well as children and other transit and road users. The Court also agreed with the City’s argument that the ad contravened Section 14 of the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards against “Unacceptable Depictions and Portrayals,” which says ads must not demean, denigrate, or disparage identifiable persons or groups of persons. The CCBR ad implied that women were murderers. The judge was sympathetic to Grande Prairie’s argument that the ad incited hatred against women, and found that the CCBR website vilified women. In fact, every argument made by the CCBR was refuted and dismissed by the court.

Dear Mayor Bennett and City Councilors,

I strongly object to the City of Peterborough’s acceptance of an anti-choice ad to be placed on the rear of its transit buses. I find this ad highly objectionable and demeaning to women. It says: “Abortion kills children. End the killing”. Women are not killers and murderers!

The City of Grande Prairie in Alberta has successfully defended itself in court over this same ad. They argued it could incite hatred against women and that it violates the Advertising Code. The court agreed and said it could cause psychological harm to women who’ve had abortions, and inflict emotional distress on children.   I never want to see this ad on buses in my own city, but I worry that if Peterborough runs the ads, it will make it more difficult for other cities to refuse these ads. By cancelling this ad and not allowing it to run, the City of Peterborough would set a leading example for other cities in Canada, and also provide strong support to jurisdictions currently being sued over refusal of the same ad.   Thank you very much,   [add your name]