BURNABY, BC, July 31 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Advertising Standards Canada (ASC), a national industry self-regulatory association, has deemed pro-life advertisements in BC “defamatory” according to a press release by the pro-abortion group Pro-Choice Action Network. According to the press release the July 18 decision reads: “In the unanimous decision of [Advertising Standards Canada], this advertisement, contrary to Clause 14(c) of the Code demeaned and disparaged Canadian physicians and medical professionals engaged in providing services to persons seeking abortions.”
The pro-abortion group complained about the baby body parts ads, which ran in newspapers late last year and early this year. The group was incensed that the ads, detailing the selling of aborted baby body parts, were allowed in the newspapers for public consumption. The ads, paid for by the Burnaby Pro-Life Society, included the infamous price list of baby parts and noted: “Abortionists are paid by mothers or by governments on their behalf to kill children and paid again by researchers for their body parts.”
LifeSite has found that by publishing the decision, the pro-abortion group has violated ASC regulations. Janet Feasby, Director of Public Affairs for ASC, told LifeSite that all decisions of the ASC are held strictly confidential and although complainants are informed of decisions, ASC regulations “don’t provide authorization for complainants to disclose decisions.”
A copy of the complaint letter by Joyce Arthur of the Pro-Choice Action Network was obtained by LifeSite and indicates that the group complained on two counts. Firstly they charged that the ads were “maliciously false” and “demonstrably false,” and also that they were “defamatory to Canadian abortion providers.” A letter from Feasby to the group notes that the ASC would examine both complaints. However, since the ASC ruled only that the ads were defamatory and did not dispute the accuracy and clarity of the ads, they apparently did not agree with the pro-abortion contention that the ads were false. The ASC will urge the pro-life group to amend the ads.