LONDON, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — The London City Council has abandoned plans for a new bylaw that sought to restrict the display of certain images, including those of abortion victims, in public spaces.
On July 23, the London City Council voted to scrap plans for a bylaw which would censor the public display of graphic images, including abortion victim photography, in public spaces, a move which is being celebrated by local pro-life groups.
“We are extremely pleased that the majority of Councillors voted against further consideration of restricting advocacy signs or restricting imagery,” Maria McCann, leader of London Against Abortion (LAA) told LifeSiteNews.
“These by-law proposals would have unjustly infringed on the Charter right to freedom of expression, and were discriminatory against peaceful pro-lifers who are speaking up for voiceless pre-born children,” she continued.
“LAA shows photos of abortion victims because these photos awaken compassion for the children who were killed, so that children who are still alive may not meet the same fate,” she explained. “We want to reach Londoners with the truth about abortion in order to save children’s lives, and to spare women and men the trauma of abortion.”
While the amendment had originally only restricted abortion victim photography, it was later expanded to all signs of a certain size after various pro-life groups threatened legal action for only targeting pro-life activism.
The decision to drop the bylaw came after Councillor David Ferreira pointed out that it had become too broad and was unlikely to withstand a constitutional test.
The recent decision is being celebrated by many pro-life organizations across Ontario, including Campaign Life Coalition (CLC).
“This is a free-speech victory for everyone and shows what can happen when the pro-life community flexes its muscles,” CLC’s Pete Baklinski wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Big free speech and pro-life victory in Ontario!
London City Council has abandoned plans for a bylaw that would limit the display of graphic images in public spaces.
The bylaw was first intended to ban abortion victim photography in the public square but was expanded to include… pic.twitter.com/xUIOQ2Znvl
— Pro-life Canadian Man (@PeteBaklinski) July 25, 2024
The amendment was first suggested in July 2022 by the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC), which told the Community and Protective Services Committee (CPSC) that abortion victim photography distracted motorists and that the signs “interfered with the privacy, equality and bodily autonomy of others.”
The amendment was apparently forgotten until a December 2023 CPSC meeting where the council told city staff to draft an amendment to the Street By-Law and to report back to CPSC in the first quarter of 2024.
The proposed amendment was expected to prevent anyone from seeing “distressing, unwanted and disturbing images,” which were defined as any “image or photograph showing, or purporting to show, a fetus or any part of a fetus.”
The amendment would hardly be Canada’s first law to restrict pro-life activism. Already, Canada has “bubble zone” laws in multiple provinces which prohibit pro-life activism within 50 meters of abortion clinics. In Ontario, the distance can be increased to 150 meters upon request.
Similarly, a Calgary bylaw states that flyers with graphic images of aborted babies, or “fetuses,” as it says, “must be concealed in an opaque envelope, with a graphic content warning, and include the name and address of the sender, when delivered to homes.”
Those found to violate the new rule can face fines of up to $1,000 per violation, and the city has promised to “investigate” and enforce the bylaw.