Graphic anti-abortion mail upsets Calgary residents

Many people who live in Calgary's northwest are angry about a piece of mail they got this week.

Thousands of large postcards with graphic images of aborted fetuses were distributed by a local anti-abortion group on Wednesday.

"It was a picture of, supposedly, an eight-week-old fetus that was sort of dismembered," said Alyssa Fehr as shedescribed the graphic postcard delivered to her home on Wednesday.

'We live in a country where free speech is there and with that comes the good, the bad and the ugly...' Celia Posyniak, clinic executive director

Her 11-year-old daughter and two nine-year-old friends found it. The card reads "Killed by a doctor" with more anti-abortion text.

All three girls, including one of the nine-year-olds, whose mother is a doctor, were really upset, said Fehr.

"I wasn't prepared to explain the concept of abortion at that particular time to my daughter, who's 11, and her friends, who are both younger, two years younger," said Fehr.

"Also, it's such a sensitive subject I didn't feel like it was my place to explain it to someone else's children."

Bylaw services says the group isn't breaking any laws

The Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform is the group behind the cards.

Executive director Stephanie Gray says the cards are meant to educate Calgarians.

"The lives of pre-born children trump the feelings of born children and children are being killed in this community," she said.

Celia Posyniak, the executive director of the Kensington Clinic, say staff are used to anti-abortion campaigns and protesters, but says the latest move is harassment.

"They're making it sound like we're committing some crime, we're not," said Posyniak.

"I mean abortion is obviously a legal procedure and it will stay that way. It's a very important component of women's reproductive health care."

The name of the clinic is on the cards.

"We live in a country where free speech is there and with that comes the good, the bad and the uglythis is obviously the ugly."

"It's important that women are able to access our clinic without harassment from these people and they are harassing us," said Posyniak.

When they're done, 10,000 cards will have been distributed. Bylaw services said the group isn't breaking any laws.