By Kaitlin Pao
Toronto Against Abortion (TAA) protesters have increased their presence on Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) campus, raising concerns among students.
The group has been a recurring presence at TMU, particularly on Gould Street near the Sheldon & Tracy Levy Student Learning Centre, where they are often seen holding graphic signs and trying to engage with passing students. The group was recently stationed outside the Ted Rogers School of Management building on March 27 with posters depicting graphic visual representations of unborn fetuses.
Some students have reported seeing the group multiple times throughout past semesters with many feeling repelled and disturbed by the explicit imagery depicted on the group’s posters.
“I try to avoid [them] every time I see them,” said Camille Galleta, a first-year environmental and urban sustainability student at TMU.
Galleta expressed her frustration with the protesters’ presence and messaging, emphasizing that the graphic images were distressing to students passing by.
Blaise Alleyne, founder of TAA and a former TMU student, defined the group in an emailed statement to The Eyeopener as an “educational human rights group that seeks to make abortion unthinkable across Toronto, especially on university campuses.”
Pursuing several different high-traffic locations in the city, TAA specifically seeks to visit universities such as TMU and the University of Toronto, as explained in the email statement.
According to Alleyne, the group was founded by university students believing their peers care about human rights, who say they are are open to civil dialogue and generally oppose violence.
The group has been running campus protests throughout school years since 2016, he said, “The TMU students who volunteer with TAA believe it’s important to reach our own community with the truth about abortion.”
According to Alleyne, TAA uses these images to state that abortion is an “act of violence,” that “kills an innocent human being,” advocating for an end to these procedures.
Recent research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that prolonged and repeated exposure to graphic or distressing imagery—such as public displays—can have lasting psychological effects that extend beyond temporary discomfort.
According to the 2024 study, such exposure can heighten anxiety, trigger intrusive thoughts and even lead to symptoms of post-traumatic stress over time—especially for individuals with personal experiences related to the subject matter.
For students who regularly cross paths with these displays, the mental toll can be difficult to ignore.
Dehrica Alviento, a third-year biology student at TMU, said these protests can affect the way students go about their days.
“Seeing such graphic photos and images is not something that you want to be implanted into your mind,” she said. “Sometimes you can see [protestors] early in the morning and then you’re gonna have to be thinking about it for the rest of your day.”
In an email statement to The Eye, the university wrote, “We appreciate how the presence of anti-choice groups is upsetting and disturbing to some members of our community, especially given the disturbing graphic images they use.”
“It’s important to note that the presence of a group or protest on City of Toronto property is not an endorsement from the university,” they wrote.
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