Pro-choice activists show support for P.E.I. woman who received death threats

At the pro-choice rally held in front of the Charlottetown cenotaph, support for Becka Viau was on full display — with many wearing tags bearing her name. 

Pro-choice activist Viau said she received death threats this past week after calling on  interim Liberal Leader Robert Mitchell to resign after he attended last weekend's anti-abortion rally in the city. 

Charlottetown police are investigating those threats.

"What is happening, the threats that she has received are absolutely unconscionable," said Kate Dempsey with the Abortion Rights Network.

"It's a horrible act of cowardice and of violence toward her family, and that could be any one of us. And that's not what we stand for, and we stand with her, knowing that that's a terrible thing to have to go through," she said. 

Robert Mitchell attended this weekend's pro-choice rally and was among those wearing the name tags in support of Viau. 

"Everybody has the right to take a side and an opinion, and nobody deserves to be threatened for that," he said.

"I do hope that whoever is responsible for that is found and brought to justice very quickly."

Mitchell 'proud' to attend

Mitchell has stated that he attended the anti-abortion event at the request of a constituent, and was there to listen. This week, he re-iterated that he is pro-choice. 

"I do support women's rights to choose. I'm here today to be with the group that are voicing that today and I'm proud to be here and it's good to see a number of Islanders that are out today," Mitchell said.

Some at the event said they were glad to see Mitchell there. However, some who got up to speak repeated calls for him to resign as interim Liberal Party leader. 

He said going forward, he plans to "revisit" the way he chooses what events to attend.

"I still want to be that leader that listens to all islanders and all issues and all sides … and I'm hoping that I'm able to maintain that. However you know we will have to look at how that is achieved."

Ongoing debate

Abortion rights have been in the headlines recently with several American states moving to restrict abortion access.

On P.E.I. there were also recent protests by an anti-abortion group outside Island high schools.

People at the pro-choice event Sunday say the resurgence of the abortion debate was a motivating factor for staging and attending this rally.

Mitchell wasn't the only politician to attend, two Green Party MLAs were also at the event — Trish Altass and Hannah Bell. 

"Something like this is actually something that I've been fighting for before I was a politician. It's part of who I am," said Bell.

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