'It's 2022': Moosomin woman looks to combat rural anti-abortion billboards with 'Abortion is Healthcare' signs

Megan Johnston was travelling en route to a camping trip with a friend, nine hours across the province, when she began counting anti-abortion signs in the rural areas of Saskatchewan.

Once they arrived, the pair realized they had passed 13 of the signs, sparking an idea in the Moosomin woman’s head to do something about it.

A quick phone conversation with her grandma ended up with a solid foundation for a new non-profit in Saskatchewan: Abortion is Healthcare.

“She's a retired RN, and I said, ‘I want to start off a non-profit to put up billboards that say Abortion is Healthcare,’ in Saskatchewan. And she said, ‘Well, it's about time someone did that, I'm so proud of you and let us know where to send the cheques,’” Johnston said.

She started with an Instagram account, which grew into additional social media platforms, such as Tik Tok. By spreading the message through education, Johnston built a following, which allowed her to start the GoFundMe, which now is over $15,000.

With that money, Johnston will be bringing ‘Abortion is Healthcare’ billboards to Saskatchewan. At least five will be installed this fall, and she hopes this is just the beginning.

“Currently, we are just asking the people to let us know if they have an anti-abortion billboard in their town that is of concern to them … we're going to split it into groups (in) that area up and give those people that have reached out to us an ‘Abortion is Healthcare’ sign,” she said.

Johnston estimates anywhere from 50 to 80 anti-abortion signs are in Saskatchewan — that’s not counting park benches, electronic billboards, or anything within urban municipalities.

When asked what she hopes women see when they look at her billboards, Johnston said she hopes their thoughts fall into one of their three pillar visions: abortion is healthcare, abortion access affects everyone, and any reason is the right reason.

“I hope that it makes them let go of some of that shame that they may be experiencing. I hope that it helps them not feel alone. I hope it helps them know that there's a movement that's growing in our province and in our country that recognizes,” she said.

When talking about growing across Canada, eyes on Johnston aren’t just in our four borders. She has had individuals and groups from across Canada contacting her, wanting something similar in their jurisdictions.

Her main goal for expansion is to keep it grassroots.

“I think it's really important for these communities to do it themselves, or else these beautiful partnerships that we've created with other non-profits, in our community news, music, artists, churches, that would get lost if it just became like a national non-profit,” she said.

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Johnston added that it will be emotional once her first five billboards are standing, knowing she’s making a difference.

“Those (anti-abortion) signs are very shame based. And so I think quite a few of us will feel really emotional when we see that — we see that sign and it's something that represents my value or our groups’ values, and I believe the majority of Saskatchewan values, so it's really exciting,” she said.

Growing up on a farm herself, Johnston understands rural Saskatchewan may be misinterpreted as anti-choice. In her experience, that isn’t the case.

“It's 2022. Everyone has access to information and knowledge and learning — and good people exist everywhere,” she said.

“Our group is mostly rural people, live in small towns and even my town here, I've had people reach out, (asking), ‘How do we get a sign here? How can we help you?’ And so that's a lot of what it’s going to look like. People from their own rural community, reaching out and saying, ‘How can we help you get us a sign? What can we do? What is it that we need to do? So that's the beauty of it.

“That's the power of Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan is a province based on our small rural communities helping each other. It's always been that way,” she said. “It's a backbone of our province and it's a beautiful thing.”

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS ON ANTI-ABORTION BILLBOARDS

When looking at Saskatchewan’s anti-abortion billboards, there seems to be one common theme: they’re put up and kept up by Saskatchewan Knights of Columbus.

Knights of Columbus is a, “Catholic, Family, Fraternal Service Organization that includes charitable service and financial aid to our communities, parishes, families and members,” according to its website.

The State Deputy of Saskatchewan, Larry Packet, spoke with CTV News Monday. Packet said he doesn’t believe abortion is healthcare, calling it, “a direct killing of innocent babies.”

Packet said the Knights of Columbus billboards cost just $600 to erect and are usually on private land, meaning no rent.

He said they receive complaints regularly, and deal with vandals.

“Some of them have been graffitti’ed (with) pro choice slogans or spray paint,” he said, before explaining that there is no reason to take them down from their standpoint.

“We're actually quite proud that they are being vandalized because we were hitting home. They're there. They're doing what they're supposed to do,” he said with a laugh.

The billboards are funded by Knights of Columbus councils across the province, according to Packet.

When asked his thoughts on how these signs may be triggering to some, Packet had an answer.

“Yes, I do imagine it does but we have to remember that life is precious and has to be protected,” he said, while saying the loss of a child is “in God’s hands.”