Close X
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
ADVT 
National

Group Opposed To Abortion Loses Bid To Advertise On Vancouver-Area Buses

The Canadian Press, 10 Aug, 2017 01:41 PM
    VANCOUVER — A group opposed to abortion has lost a Charter of Rights challenge to have its ads displayed on the outside of Metro Vancouver buses after a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled they could cause harm to women and children.
     
     
    The South Coast B.C. Transportation Authority rejected the ads, saying the graphic display of fetuses and the message "Abortion Kills Children" left the impression that most abortions were preformed after 16 weeks gestation.
     
     
    The authority also argued the ad from The Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform was inaccurate, because Canadian law says life starts with a live birth.
     
     
    In a ruling posted online Wednesday, Justice Peter Leask says the authority did violate the centre's freedom of expression rights by refusing the ads, but added the infringement was reasonable.
     
     
    The judge says that the centre, which is based in Calgary and Brantford, Ont., was given a choice to submit a new advertisement to convey its moral opposition to abortion without using the images of fetuses to do so.
     
     
    Leask says the ads had the potential to cause psychological harm to children and women because they compare women who have had abortions to "killers."
     
     
    "I believe my finding is bolstered by the content found on the website 'endthekilling.ca,' which was referenced in the advertisement. There, one can find many images that are much more graphic than the one in the advertisement in question, including images of dismembered fetuses."
     
     
    If the images of fetuses in the ads were not graphic, then the extreme content of the website made the transportation authority's decision reasonable, the ruling says.
     
     
    "Therefore, I find that the respondent's decision to reject the petitioner's advertisement was neither unreasonable nor was it disproportionate," Leask concluded as he dismissed the application for judicial review.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Trudeau Says He 'Regrets' Comments About Senator Brazeau In Rolling Stone

    Trudeau Says He 'Regrets' Comments About Senator Brazeau In Rolling Stone
    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he "regrets" comments he made about Sen. Patrick Brazeau in a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

    Trudeau Says He 'Regrets' Comments About Senator Brazeau In Rolling Stone

    Surrey RCMP Identify Targets Of Recent Shootings For Sake Of Public Safety

    Surrey RCMP Identify Targets Of Recent Shootings For Sake Of Public Safety
    Surrey RCMP have released the photos of five men who have been the targets of shootings in Surrey over the past five weeks.

    Surrey RCMP Identify Targets Of Recent Shootings For Sake Of Public Safety

    Pipeline, Opioid On Agenda As Justin Trudeau Meets With Vancouver Mayor

    Pipeline, Opioid On Agenda As Justin Trudeau Meets With Vancouver Mayor
    PM Trudeau's Once-rosy Relationship With Mayor Gregor Has Been Threatened By The Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion

    Pipeline, Opioid On Agenda As Justin Trudeau Meets With Vancouver Mayor

    Nothing Worse Than When A Politician Thinks They're Irreplaceable: Christy Clark

    Clark told reporters today there's nothing worse than a politician who doesn't know when it's time to go because they feel like they are irreplaceable.

    Nothing Worse Than When A Politician Thinks They're Irreplaceable: Christy Clark

    Vancouver's Stanley Park Seawall A Gem For Tourists And Locals Alike

    The summer evening is warm and a buzz can be felt along Vancouver's sun-drenched Stanley Park Seawall.

    Vancouver's Stanley Park Seawall A Gem For Tourists And Locals Alike

    YouTube Throws More Support Behind Canadian Creators With Spotlight Channel

    YouTube Throws More Support Behind Canadian Creators With Spotlight Channel
    TORONTO — YouTube is putting a bigger bet on its most successful Canadian creators with a channel dedicated to promoting local talent.

    YouTube Throws More Support Behind Canadian Creators With Spotlight Channel