Bill 41 explained in plain English
Viewer Discretion Act (Images of Fetuses), 2021
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 42nd Parliament, 2nd Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
The Viewer Discretion Act (Images of Fetuses), 2021, requires that graphic images of fetuses mailed or distributed must be in an opaque envelope with the sender and content description visible, and imposes a $100 fine per image for violations.
This law, called the Viewer Discretion Act (Images of Fetuses), 2021, sets rules for sending images of fetuses through the mail or distributing them in other ways. It requires that such images must be in an opaque envelope, with a description of the contents and the sender's name clearly visible on the outside. Violating these rules can result in a fine of $100 per image.
- Prohibits the mailing or distribution of graphic images of aborted or non-viable fetuses unless specific conditions are met.
- Requires that these images be sent in opaque envelopes.
- Mandates that the exterior of the envelope clearly describes the contents.
- Requires that the sender be clearly identified on the exterior of the envelope.
- Establishes an offence for violating these mailing and distribution rules.
- Sets a penalty of $100 per image for anyone found guilty of the offence.
- Individuals or entities mailing or distributing graphic images of aborted or non-viable fetuses.
- The public who may receive these images.
- Individuals convicted of violating the Act.
- Obligation to ensure graphic images of fetuses are sent in opaque envelopes.
- Obligation to describe the contents on the exterior of the envelope.
- Obligation to clearly identify the sender on the exterior of the envelope.
- Right to be free from receiving such images distributed in violation of the Act.
- The Act came into force on the day it received Royal Assent.
- A fine of $100 per image mailed or distributed in violation of the Act.
- Anyone who violates section 1 is guilty of an offence.
- On conviction, the penalty is a fine of $100 per image mailed or otherwise distributed.
- The Act does not specify what constitutes a 'graphic image' of a fetus.
- The Act does not define 'otherwise distribute'.
- The specific process for laying charges or conducting investigations is not detailed in the provided text.
This new Act creates specific rules and penalties for mailing or distributing images of fetuses.
Source: Bill 41, Section 1, 2, 4
This Act came into force on the day it received Royal Assent.
Source: Section 3
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
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Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced