A Metro Vancouver mother is speaking out after an anti-abortion group distributed pamphlets containing graphic images she says left both her and her young children traumatized.
Elya Shaw says she saw a woman at her Burnaby doorstep last week.
"My daughter, who is four years old, opened the door and handed me this pamphlet," she told CTV News Thursday, adding that she was "disgusted" and "traumatized" by what she saw next.
The flyer, distributed by the Alberta-based Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform, contains bloody images the organization describes as fetal remains.
"My son was traumatized by it. He's eight years old and he opened it up," Shaw said.
"I believe everybody has right to their opinion, but at the same time, we're not given a choice…We open our door and this is put in our face."
Laura Contreras, another Burnaby resident, also received one of the brochures.
"I opened the door and there was this pamphlet jammed in the door," she said. "I opened it and I was instantly disgusted and shocked."
Contreras said she's also concerned about woman who have had miscarriages or stillbirths seeing the images against their will.
"It could bring on post-traumatic stress disorders," she said.
The anti-abortion group, however, said it's simply trying to inform people about the "reality" of abortion.
"It's really difficult to spread awareness about that without showing the reality of what happens and that reality is a graphic reality," said Cameron Côté, the group's Western outreach director.
"I mean, certainly our goal is to engage homeowners, people who are old enough to have abortions. We certainly try not to target or engage people that are younger than that demographic for sure."
Contreras has reported the flyer to the Burnaby RCMP. Mounties have confirmed they're looking into the incident.
In the meantime, Shaw is warning other parents about the gory images.
"I think that if people do see this, don't open it," Shaw said. "Put it in the recycling. Bye bye—done."
