We Don’t Need Abby’s American Anti-Abortion Propaganda
For immediate release
(London, Ontario) – The Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC) strongly objects to a London anti-abortion organization hosting American anti-abortion fanatic Abby Johnson as a guest speaker at their Oct 24 fundraiser.
Johnson is an anti-choice activist who wrote a memoir on which the American movie, Unplanned, (a dangerous piece of anti-abortion propaganda) is based. In a quote from 2019 about the movie, Joyce Arthur (Executive Director, ARCC), stated, “I think only anti-choice people will enjoy seeing the film because it wallows in fetal gore — which is why it got slapped with a Restricted rating in the U.S.”
Aside from the questionable veracity of Johnson’s memoir, this woman is anti-vaccine and racist. She was once quoted as saying “these police officers know in their head, they’re going to know that statistically my [adopted] brown son is more likely to commit a violent offence over my white sons” (https://tinyurl.com/53hzyb5m). In that video, “she went on to distort statistics, making the case that Black men are more prone to commit violent crime and blamed the absence of Black fathers” (https://tinyurl.com/5uj59mpf).
Deanna Ronson (Board Director, ARCC and activist with London Reproductive Justice) states, “It’s reprehensible that any organization in London, public or private, would host a racist, anti-abortion, anti-vaccine person as a key speaker in their centre. I’m incredibly disappointed in the Hellenic Centre’s choice to host Johnson. I urge Londoners to consider contacting the Hellenic Centre to voice their outrage and even consider boycotting them in the future. We need more love in London, not people who are going to bring in more U.S.-style propaganda against basic human rights.”
ARCC supports the protest being held by London Reproductive Justice at the intersection of Southdale Rd. West and Notre Dame Dr. to protest the Hellenic Centre’s hosting of anti-choice speaker Abby Johnson. Their event is Thursday, October 24 from 4:30pm to 5:30pm.
Contact:
Deanna Ronson (she/her), London, ARCC Board member, dlronson@gmail.com, 519-868-7187
