cover image: Upheld Complaints against Anti-Abortion Ads by Ad Standards

Upheld Complaints against Anti-Abortion Ads by Ad Standards

15 Jun 2024

In its analysis, the majority of Council found that the complaint should be upheld under Clause 1(a) of the Code, and unanimously held that the complaint should be upheld under Clause 1(e) of the Code. [...] The impression conveyed to Council by the advertisement was that the pregnant woman featured in the billboard advertisement was in the very late stage of her pregnancy. [...] In the unanimous opinion of the members of Council, the claim in question disregarded the reality that by overturning the Criminal Code provisions outlawing abortions in Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada in 1988 imposed new law by which abortion became legal in Canada. [...] The impression conveyed to Council by the combination of the words Page 8 of 20 and the image in this advertisement was that the image was representative of foetuses when they are aborted (an inaccurate and misleading representation), and that all foetuses at all stages of gestation will feel pain if the pregnancy is aborted. [...] Whether a particular advocacy advertisement actually raises an issue under the Code depends on a number of factors such as the context and content of the advertisement, the audience it reaches or is intended to reach, and the medium/media used to deliver the advertisement.
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Authors

Joyce Arthur

Pages
20
Published in
Canada

Table of Contents