City to decide whether to ban graphic abortion flyers from London mailboxes
If passed, those distributing flyers could be fined as much as $5,000
Following complaints by Londoners who were getting graphic abortion flyers in the mail, city council will be deciding this week whether to ban their distribution to London homes altogether.
If passed at the Mar. 22 council meeting, people distributing graphic flyers to homes can be fined $350 to $5000.
Complaints began as far back as 2020 after people found flyers with explicit images of terminated baby fetuses, which were sent out by the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform in Alberta. The city's community and protective services committee has been working on the bylaw since last year.
The draft distribution of graphic flyers by-law defines "graphic" as "a detailed pictorial image or series of images, containing potentially sensitive content that may cause or trigger a negative reaction to the health and wellbeing of any person at any scale."
"An example of a graphic image may include, but is not limited to, dismembered human beings or aborted fetuses," the draft by-law reads.
"I'm cautiously optimistic," said Katie Dean, the co-founder of Viewer Discretion Legislation Coalition, an organization combating graphic abortion flyers not only in London, but nationwide. The organization was launched back in 2020.
She's happy with how the by-law reads but is concerned that it might not get the support it needs in council to pass.
It's a personal issue for Dean. She explained that she had to terminate after 19 weeks due to medical reasons. She'd received one of the mailbox flyers was worried about getting more.
"These images are very triggering for me," she said.
'Government overreach'
Coun. Michael van Holst believes that the by-law is "a little bit of government overreach."
"The pictures are harsh to look at," said Coun. Michael van Holst. "And certainly people who have a certain history could be made to feel bad about them, but the best way to avoid receiving these is to make use of the trespass to property act."
With the "trespass to property act," he instead suggests that people write the organization distributing the flyers and ask them to stop going on their property to hand them out. He said that if they don't, they can be fined by the province.
"Our by-law that we put forward is going to be challenged," he added.