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London Mayor Sadiq Khan reversed a ban on displaying decriminalizing abortion ads from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service charity on the city’s transportation network.
Khan called for an urgent review of the ban on ads calling on people to lobby members of Parliament ahead of an upcoming vote on whether to decriminalize abortion, which was ordered by Transport for London.
The BPAS ads were placed across England and Wales, featuring anonymous stories of real women investigated by police and in some cases prosecuted after a termination or pregnancy loss. TFL decided to ban the ads, saying that they may shed a negative light on the Metropolitan Police.
According to The Guardian, BPAS received a statement from TFL saying the ads “did not comply with TFL advertising policy because they made negative references about the police.”
BPAS planned to appeal the decision, taking the matter to the “highest levels” and seeking an “immediate in-depth explanation” as to why the ads were banned.
“As chair of TFL, Sadiq is going to seek an urgent review of this decision. Women’s voices must be heard,” a source close to the mayor said.
TFL previously approved pro-choice ads to run on buses from Doctors for Choice and Abortion Talk featuring the tagline, “Abortion is healthcare, not a crime.” Last year, ads from Dignity in Dying were also approved to run on the network.
The mayor hopes for a quick decision from the TFL with an understanding that the BPAS ads are not criticizing the police, but are calling for the law on abortion to be changed.
