WATERLOO REGION — Ads claiming that abortion is linked to suicide, substance abuse, breast cancer, depression and infertility were displayed in Grand River Transit buses, prompting a complaint and their swift removal.

"We were quite shocked and surprised about the content of the ads," said Lyndsey Butcher, executive director of SHORE Centre, which provides sexual health services and education.

"There is no evidence at all for these claims," said Butcher.

Disturbed by the medical claims made in the bus ads that Butcher believes contravene Canadian advertising standards, she made a formal complaint to Ad Standards Canada.

She also sent a letter to Regional Chair Karen Redman on Thursday morning asking that the ads be removed from buses immediately and that the region review how they got there in the first place.

"That's what's most concerning, that an ad like this would be approved," Butcher said.

After being contacted by SHORE, the region said the ads would be removed Thursday night when the seven buses displaying them return to the garages after service ends.

Grand River Transit has a review process for potentially controversial ads, and that was not followed by the agency that looks after bus ads for the region, said Peter Zinck, director of transit services.

"We'll look at them," Zinck said. "In this case that didn't happen so they ended up on some vehicles."

All ads need to conform to the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards, which sets out criteria for all forms of advertising to follow including that they must be truthful and accurate.

The advertising agency will now need to submit the ads for review by the Ad Standards Council and they must meet the code before they could go back on buses, and changes may be required for that to happen.

Butcher said there are a few versions of the ad — purchased by the KW Right to Life Association — with different images, but the same warning of serious health risks linked to abortion.

She said the claims around mental health problems and cancer are not supported by scientific evidence and neither surgical nor medical abortion pose any risk to future pregnancies or fertility, barring extremely rare complications.

"The purpose of the ad is quite clear: it's trying to scare people from having an abortion," Butcher said.

She said women often come into the SHORE office for an abortion, but are worried about the potential complications that anti-abortion groups talk about. Time is spent in the counselling session to break down those myths, she said.

"It does create a lot of anxiety and fear in women and that's what it's designed to do," Butcher said.

Jane Richard, president of KW Right to Life Association, defends the ads and says the claims are supported by research.

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"We base our judgment on good science," Richard said. "It's not new and it's not made up."

The aim of the ad campaign is to help women make an informed decision about abortion, she said. "The effects are there and they're real."

Richard said it's not unusual to have people who disagree with a view or who want to control the narrative about sensitive issues like abortion, but those views are protected by freedom of speech.

"I think women have the right to know," said Richard, adding that the group has purchased bus ads "many times" before.

Butcher said usually the ads stick to information about how to contact the organization.

"They tend to be fairly benign," she said.

While SHORE regularly hears complaints from people about seeing this type of ad, Butcher said this is the first time it felt necessary to file a complaint with the advertising regulatory body.

"This ad crossed the line."

jweidner@therecord.com

Twitter: @WeidnerRecord