Ontario bill censors mailing of abortion victim photography, discriminates against pro-life free speech
Hamilton, November 02, 2021 – Campaign Life Coalition condemns the attack on pro-life speech in Ontario with the reintroduction today of NDP private member’s Bill 41 (formerly Bill 259), Viewer Discretion Act (Images of Fetuses).
“This bill revealingly singles out abortion victim photography to restrict its dissemination by pro-life advocates,” said Josie Luetke, Youth Coordinator at Campaign Life Coalition (CLC). “The killing of 100,000 children before birth by abortion every year won’t end until citizens see the truth of what abortion actually looks like.”
Bill 41, an “Act to regulate the mailing of images of fetuses,” states that “no one shall send a graphic image of an aborted or otherwise non-viable fetus by mail or otherwise distribute such an image” unless certain conditions are first satisfied, such as the image being first placed in a non-see-through envelope. The bill directly targets the work of pro-life groups which use photographic images to expose the violent horror of abortion. The bill passed first reading in March, but then stalled. It was reintroduced today by NDP MPP Terence Kernaghan (London North Centre).
“These images accurately show the victims of an evil and barbaric practice,” continued Luetke. “They do change people’s hearts and minds on abortion and save lives.”
Pete Baklinski, Director of Communications for CLC, pointed out that instead of lawmakers trying to ban these graphic images, “shouldn’t they rather seek to ban the death-dealing abortion procedures from which these shocking images arise?”
Baklinski pointed out that graphic imagery has been used in every major social justice campaign since the invention of the camera to help draw attention to the injustice, and so help combat it. “And there is no greater injustice today than abortion,” he said.
“Discrimination based on content opposes the Charter right to freedom of expression, which applies to pro-life advocates as much as anyone else,” Baklinski noted. “A bill that specifically targets pro-life content would likely be unconstitutional. Such discrimination has no place in a free and democratic society.”
About Campaign Life Coalition
Campaign Life Coalition is a national, non-profit organization involved in political action and advocacy for legal and cultural change in Canada with respect to protecting human life & the family. For more info visit www.campaignlifecoalition.com.
Media Contacts Josie Luetke, Youth Coordinator, Campaign Life Coalition, 800-730-5358, ext. 220, josie@clife.ca
Pete Baklinski, Director of Communications, Campaign Life Coalition, 343-369-8772 [email protected].
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