A UBC Okanagan master's student, health advocate and feminist is frustrated after her requests to rent advertisement space on billboards in West Kelowna were denied because her message was deemed "too controversial" by the companies that own them.
"I've grown up around anti-abortion billboards," said Sophie Harms who has spent much of her life in the Central Okanagan.
"I want a billboard to say that abortions are safe, normal and common."
She said that for as long as she can remember, road trips have always begun with a drive past anti-science messaging plastered to the iconic billboards that line West Kelowna's Highway 97. Harms said she has childhood memories of being driven past billboards that vilify abortion or spread misinformation about the common medical procedure.
Approximately one-third of women will have either a medical or surgical abortion in their lifetime, reports the Government of Canada. The federal government protects an individual's choice to seek an abortion, as it recognizes the healthcare-based decision ought to be made between a patient and their primary health care provider. For more information and support in finding a sexual health provider, visit Action Canada for Sexual Rights.
Harms said that to counteract the anti-choice messaging she sees on a regular basis, and knowing the negative psychological impacts the emotional anti-abortion propaganda can have on people, she decided to take action.
The UBCO student created an online fundraiser and quickly raised more than $3,000 to pay for a pro-choice advertisement, with the intention of destigmatizing abortions.
However, her plans and momentum have been hindered by the companies who own the billboards in West Kelowna: BC Billboards, Pattison Outdoor and Coast Outdoor.
BC Billboard regularly publishes advertisements from organizations like the Kelowna Right to Life Society, which is an organization that opposes abortions and medical euthanasia. The Right to Life Society is known for holding "vigils" around the city and in front of Kelowna General Hospital – which is the only place in the Central Okanagan where patients can access surgical abortions.
In 2019, Advertisement Standards of Canada issued a decision that an anti-choice advertisement by the Kelowna Right to Life Society on a BC Billboard site in West Kelowna contravened the Advertising Code. The billboard featured an image of a pregnant woman with the text “My mom really is going to kill me!” with an arrow pointing to the woman’s stomach.
The standards council found that the advertisement conveyed a message that was disparaging, offensive and inaccurate.
"I have this funding but I'm experiencing media gatekeeping. There is an issue of media ownership and how it influences what we're surrounded with in the Valley. I feel it's very one-sided."
Harms said she never received a response from BC Billboard but was told by both Coast Outdoors and Pattison Outdoors that the pro-abortion messaging was "too controversial," or "goes against their standards."
Capital News reached out to BC Billboard requesting an interview, several times but did not receive a response.
Harms shared copies of refusal emails sent by sales representatives of both Coast Outdoors – which also manages the electronic billboard – and Pattison Outdoors to Capital News for review.
Capital News called the sales representative that Harms worked with from Pattison Outdoors, who said they would not be commenting and instead pointed to the company's headquarters. Capital News called the company's head office for a comment but did not receive a response.
Capital News has also contacted Coast Outdoors by phone and has not received a response.
"I think most people think abortion is controversial because they think the rights of fetuses are being contested. I don't consider that at all as a reason why abortion is controversial. I think of it as controversial because it relates to the gender roles of women in society," said Harms.
To learn more about Harms' project, visit @prochoice_okgn or email Harms at abortionokanagan@gmail.com.
