Hamilton woman's poetic answer to anti-abortion highway banners

Hamilton's Brittany Gumbert goes to Youtube to have her say about the people who have been draping an anti-abortion banner over Hamilton highways recently.

When the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (CCBR) draped a banner with a picture of a 10-week-old fetus and the slogan abortion kills children on the overpass by the Upper Wentworth exit on the Linc during rush hour last month, many people in Hamilton were angry.

Brandy Fehr saw the banner while driving to her Mountain home from her job as a housekeeper at Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington on Wednesday afternoon.

The site of the image caused the 37-year-old to become upset, as it reminded her of the four miscarriages she's endured over the past three years.

"I came home and I saw something hanging over the bridge and this big, horrible, dead, bloody baby," said Fehr. "I would like to say to the people who put it up that they need to understand that they are affecting peoplelike me, who've miscarried,and the people who havehad to get abortions because they were raped."

Stephanie Gray, the co-founder and executive director of the CCBR told CBC Hamilton that the group is an "educational pro-life organization" that aims to "saturate Canadian culture" about the facts on abortion. She says the group uses graphic imagery to "convey the true horror" of abortion when "words are insufficient."

"We've seen women cancel abortion appointments when they see our images," she said.

• CBC Hamilton's livechat with Stephanie Gray,of the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform
• Graphic anti-abortion banner on Linc angers Hamiltonians

Gray's actions inspired Gumbert to post a poetic response defending Gray's right to hang the banner even if she doesn't agree with the message.

Do you have something to say on an important local issue? Do you want to foster debate on an issue or start a community conversation? Send us your intelligent commentary and opinion on topical Hamilton issues. We can publish, in this space, your submissions in text, video or audio form on our website.