Pro-life advertisements posted on Metro Transit buses in Halifax have sparked outrage online. Several hundred people have signed a petition asking Metro Transit to take them down.  

A baby is pictured in the ads, which say “Luc was born today but his life began nine months ago.”

The ads first popped up in November at two small bus shelters in Halifax, but now the ads are also being spotted inside Metro Transit buses, which has raised the ire of Saint Mary’s University student Hilary Murphy.

“I do know people that have had the abortion procedure and when they ride these buses they see these signs and they just, they already feel guilty for the decision that they made,” says Murphy.

Upset by the ads, Murphy started an online petition asking Metro Transit to pull them. More than 800 people had signed the petition as of 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“It’s reached as far as Vancouver now and I even posted it on Twitter and it’s over on Spain now so it’s really getting a lot of notice,” says Murphy.

However, Metro Transit says it doesn’t have any direct input into what sort of ads go up on its buses and shelters.

A third party, Pattison Sign Group, sells the advertising space inside Metro Transit buses.

“As long as an ad meets the Canadian code of advertising standards, it can be advertised on public transit,” explains HRM spokesperson Janet Bryson.

Stephanie Potter is a mother of five and a member of the small pro-life group, Signs 4 Life, which is behind the ad campaign.

She admits she has been offended by the graphic nature of some right-to-life campaigns in the past, but says the ads on Metro Transit buses are different.

“I would never want my children to see that on a bus, so the idea that this is something I would show my children, I don’t find it offensive at all. The text isn’t offensive. The most it will do is cause people to think,” says Potter.

She says she also supports Murphy’s right to petition the signs.

“I really love that that petition is there for that sake, that we’re able to kind of reach the however many people sign the petition, that we were able to write a response to them and sort of continue our debate in a friendly way.”

However, Murphy says there is no room for debate when dealing with such a sensitive topic.

“I just think it should be left alone and let people make the decision they want to make,” says Murphy.

A representative from Pattison Sign Group says a Supreme Court ruling three years ago makes it illegal for the company to deny Signs 4 Life the ad space because of the group’s right to free speech.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Jayson Baxter