Abortion activist secures removal of pro-life billboards in British Columbia

Billboards in British Columbia affirming the value of all human beings will soon be coming down as the result of a pro-abortion activist's campaign for the signs' removal.

Key Takeaways:

• Pro-life billboards sponsored by Kelowna Right to Life will be removed at the end of the organization's contract in six months.

• The pro-life organization's relationship with B.C. Billboards ended after pro-abortion activist Sophie Harms contended that the billboard company needed to display her pro-abortion billboard or risk facing legal action.

• Harms was aided in her campaign against the billboards by the B.C. Humanist Association.

The Details:

Kelowna Right to Life's pro-life billboards can be seen along the highway in West Kelowna, B.C. The boards' messaging is simple: 'All Lives Are Precious." Underneath those words, are the pictures of an elderly man, a girl with Down syndrome, and an ultrasound photo of twins in the womb.

That message was too disturbing for Sophie Harms, a pro-abortion activist.

"My concern with these pro-life billboards is that people traveling... to get a surgical abortion will have to see them. And that's just not right in my mind," she told Global News Canada.

Harms launched a campaign to place her own pro-abortion billboards, receiving legal help from the B.C. Humanist Association.

"She wanted to put up billboards saying that abortion is safe, normal and common," executive director Ian Bushfield told CBC News. "We thought that was great. That was a fantastic initiative and one that we wanted to get behind."

However, she was told by the major billboard companies that they didn't accept ads for controversial issues like abortion.

"[Pro-life billboards] have had such a long-standing presence that they've almost been taken for granted," Harms said. "And that is why it's shocking [these companies] refused the idea of having a pro-choice billboard ... It's not OK."

Zoom In:

The B.C. Humanist Association then homed in on the response from the billboard companies, claiming that allowing a pro-life billboard while rejecting a pro-abortion one could be considered sex-based discrimination.

As a result, the president of B.C. Billboards, Jim Wannop, confirmed that his organization would not be renewing the Kenowa Right to Life contract when it expires, saying, "We will no longer be advertising pro-life or pro-abortion advertising. Any existing ads to that effect will be removed at the end of their contract."

Commentary:

It strains credulity to claim that posting a billboard advocating for the value of every human being, born and preborn, while choosing not to post a billboard opposing that message could be considered "sex-based discrimination" simply because of the messages involved.

The pro-life message is one that stands upon the belief that all humans (including those yet to be born) have an inherent right to life and to not be killed. The pro-abortion message tends to ignore or dehumanize and discriminate against the human who is killed in an abortion.

Though Harms stated her concern that women traveling to seek abortions would "have to see" the pro-life billboards, it is uncertain why this is concerning to her. After all, if abortion is simply " health care" and a "medical procedure" like any other, then why should a pro-life message upset anyone?

There is no "right to not be offended." A great deal of advertising promotes specific viewpoints that people with opposing viewpoints might "have to see" when traveling on a roadway. What if someone who strongly opposes alcohol consumption for very personal reasons has to see a billboard advertising alcoholic drinks? Does that person have a right to run an anti-alcohol billboard or have the pro-alcohol billboard removed because they feel offended?

The Bottom Line:

Marlon Bartram, a spokesperson for Kelowna Right to Life, said the group likely won't challenge the billboard decision, but will continue to rely on other methods of spreading the pro-life message.

“If the billboards aren’t available to us, we’re going to try other means, social media, radio, television, public demonstrations,” Bartram said.