A pro-abortion Toronto woman has drawn attention for removing pro-life flyers from neighbors’ mailboxes because she deemed them “inappropriate.”
The flyers, printed and distributed by the pro-life group Canadian Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, depict the image of a living seven-week fetus next to that of an aborted eight-week fetus.
Liz Phillips took it upon herself to take the flyers from mailboxes on her block of the neighborhood and replace them with her own handouts telling neighbors why she removed them and stating she retained the copies for neighbors who wanted them. Her actions do not constitute illegal mail-tampering in Canada, as the flyers were unaddressed and not processed by any post office.
“I’m pro-choice, so I don’t like the messaging itself. I also don’t assume that everybody on the block thinks the same way,” Phillips explained. “My main concern was with the graphic nature of the brochures.” She contends she was not attempting to “police” neighbors’ thoughts, but merely wanted to “prevent anyone from being upset.”
Phillips has since admitted that some neighbors were “upset that I’d gone into [their] mailbox at all, and I totally understand that,” leading her to reconsider her actions. “They don’t agree with the material itself, but they don’t want someone else to make the decision of whether they get it. They want to see it,” she acknowledged.
CCBR eastern coordinator Maaike Rosendal says the group is weighing its legal options, pointing to Criminal Code Section 430(1), which declares, “Every one commits mischief who willfully […] obstructs, interrupts or interferes with the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property.”
As for the use of graphic abortion images, Rosendal says, “In order for Canada to reject abortion, Canadians need to see it for what it is. Many people are changed as a result, and some are even grateful for being shown what abortion is.”
