‘Appalled’ Canadian abortion advocates condemn pro-life bus ad featuring newborn

A pro-life ad on a bus in Canada drew criticism after a woman took of photo of the ad and shared it on Facebook on January 18, questioning why the city would allow such an advertisement in a public space.

Brittany Tate snapped a photo of the advertisement on the side of a GOVA Sudbury bus in the City of Greater Sudbury. The ad featured an adult hand and a newborn child with the words, “Take my hand… not my life.”

“I know this might cause a stir but I’m so incredibly disappointed in Sudbury Transit,” Tate wrote on Facebook. “Today getting on the PUBLIC city bus I came across the advertisement on the side of the bus. Can someone please explain to me how this is okay? It’s one thing to have an opinion, a complete other to purchase an advertisement for the side of a public city bus in order to shame women (I might add, women from various different situations, environments, backgrounds etc.) for abortions.”

She told Sudbury.com that she was “instantly appalled” at the sight of the newborn and the notion that preborn babies shouldn’t be killed. She said she believed the ad is illegal because the Protecting a Woman’s Right to Access Abortion Services Act prohibits anyone to “inform or attempt to inform a person concerning issues related to abortion services, by any means, including oral, written or graphic means” in abortion access zones. The bus drives through the vicinity of a hospital.

The City of Greater Sudbury told Sudbury.com that there are rules in place regarding which ads they can refuse or accept.

READ: Shocking video shows frequent violence against Canadian pro-lifers

This is not the first time a pro-life bus ad has drawn the ire of abortion advocates in Canada. In 2019, two councillors in Ottawa called it “galling” that an ad reading, “1969-2019: More than 4 million abortions in Canada. Pregnant? Need Help? Call 1-800-665-0570,” was shown on the side of a bus. They called the ad a tactic to “reverse decades of pro-choice gains.” The phone number was for a local pregnancy resource center, which they claimed was “misleading and ha[s] no place on our public transit system.”

Abortion is traumatic for many women, and comes with an increased risk of depression, remorse, alcohol and drug use, and suicidal thoughts. Seeing a pro-life advertisement may spark the deep emotions that women who have had abortions are living with, but so could any image of a baby, or even holding a baby, or viewing the ultrasound of another child they carry. While the pain these women experience is real and it matters, it is pro-life organizations who are reaching out to offer post-abortive care to help women overcome their grief from abortion. The abortion industry, on the other hand, dismisses their grief and tells them they should be celebrating abortion rather than regretting it.

The pain, trauma, and destruction of abortion cannot be ignored… and the problem is not with a pro-life ad. The problem is abortion.

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