A scientifically accurate, pro-life billboard in New South Wales will be immediately removed after members of the community voiced outrage.
The billboard was created by pro-life group Emily’s Voice, and depicts a pregnant woman along with the words: “A heart beats at four weeks.”
Despite the fact that the claim is entirely accurate, Transport Minister Andrew Constance called the adverts “appalling,” after pulling the same graphic from buses last month.
According to Nine News, a spokesperson for the billboard company said the ad was reviewed and not found to breach any of its advertising codes, however, following the backlash the ad was reviewed again.
“Upon being made aware of concerns raised with the media placements of this advert by other media outlets, and respecting the fact that it could cause offence to a significant section of the community, the advert was put under the microscope of our review panel which deemed that the advert should be removed as it did not meet with our own guidelines,” the spokesperson said.
So, there we have it. Statements of truth, scientifically accepted truth, will be censored if the facts offend those who do not wish to accept the truth.
What sort of society are we creating, when we ban scientifically accepted statements from buses and billboards because we don’t like how a particular truth makes us feel? How long will it be before we ban textbooks, medical journals, and research that risks offending people who’d rather entertain delusions?
German poet, Heinrich Heine, once said: “Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings.” And this incident only shows how intertwined the two really are.