Truck displaying graphic anti-abortion videos is driving around Hamilton. Police say it's not a crime

Samantha Beattie · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 16, 2025 3:42 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

On her mode location from enactment Wednesday morning, a Hamilton nonmigratory says she was subjected to "utterly disgusting" anti-abortion videos playing connected a loop from ample screens mounted successful the furniture of a achromatic pickup truck. 

Courtney Whiteside said she was stuck driving down the motortruck for astir a kilometre connected Dundurn Street that's 1 lane each way. 

At a reddish light, she took a video of the truck, with the screen showing a idiosyncratic holding what appears to beryllium a bloody fetus and past links to an anti-abortion website.

The website, linked to a group called the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform, says "abortion is simply a quality rights violation." 

"Initially I thought this can't beryllium legal," Whiteside told CBC Hamilton. "I recognize radical person assorted opinions but I don't deliberation it's due to show those images portion you're physically driving a car." 

She didn't study the motortruck to police, but Hamilton constabulary spokesperson Adam Kimber said they are aware of the truck's "billboards" that "may beryllium disturbing." 

However, there's not overmuch they tin bash astir it, helium said. 

"Displaying graphic contented is not successful itself a transgression offence nether Canadian law," said Kimber. "Unless the worldly violates circumstantial ineligible thresholds specified arsenic obscenity oregon hatred speech, it is protected nether the close to state of expression." 

Whiteside said too the "horror" of seeing the videos, they proved distracting to drivers — with radical slowing down to look — and she said the connection is hateful toward women, their reproductive rights and those who take abortion. 

Council has tried to code contented before

This is not the archetypal clip radical person raised concerns astir unsolicited, anti-abortion images, whether they are on banners hanging off an overpass, autobus ads or flyers, but determination isn't a instrumentality that specifically prohibits them. 

In precocious 2023, Hamilton metropolis assembly requested staff to look into processing a bylaw requiring flyers containing images of fetuses beryllium concealed successful an envelope with a informing label.

Coun. Maureen Wilson (Ward 1) said astatine the clip specified images origin "severe harm" to children and radical who've had an termination oregon experienced gestation loss.

"It's precise overmuch a triggering lawsuit and continues to beryllium a triggering lawsuit each clip the brushwood is made," she said. 

The bylaw hasn't been passed and the metropolis didn't supply a remark earlier publication.