Pro-lifers urged to boycott graphic design company Canva over abortion travel benefits

The popular Australian software company has more than 220 million active monthly users and caters to over 100 languages in 190 countries. Canva is a favorite among small businesses and NGOs – including many pro-life groups – but until recently, Canva’s pro-abortion policy had gone unnoticed.

After the fall of Roe v. Wade, many big corporations began offering to subsidize their employees’ out-of-state abortions if their own state became pro-life. News articles from that time list companies which were offering financial assistance – a formal co-operation with the evil of abortion – including big corporations like Disney, Bank of America, and Facebook’s parent company, Meta.

Late last year, members of Right to Life were horrified to see that their favorite graphic design tool, Canva, was among those listed in an older article. Right to Life immediately sought clarity over Canva’s policy, writing letters and emailing the company, but received no response. Right to Life members also noticed that while Canva boasts a plethora of social media templates which promote abortion, it has no pro-life templates in its repository.

An example of Canva’s public statements comes from this 2022 article in which a spokesman is quoted as saying:

We are deeply concerned by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade – concerned for the millions of people who have lost access to safe healthcare, concerned for our team in the United States who are directly impacted by changes to the law, and concerned for society as a result of the precedent this decision sets.

A post from the same year on Canva’s LinkedIn profile reveals that the company pledged to cover the costs of travel and accommodation for employees and one support person who sought an abortion out-of-state.

The post said that Canva would “continue to do everything we can to best support our team in accessing their right to health care [abortion] in the United States and around the world.”

Canva’s stance on abortion appears to be in conflict with its safeguarding policy, which states that it is “committed to protecting the rights, safety and wellbeing of anyone who interacts with, or is affected by, our work,” including children. It’s difficult to square this policy with Canva’s desire to help its American employees end the lives of their own babies.

After their queries went unanswered, Right to Life members decided to stage a protest outside of Canva’s Sydney headquarters and also created an online petition to garner support for the boycott. The group has begun reaching out to schools, many of which use “Canva for Education,” one of the  company’s free products which is used by schools and other educational institutions. They also plan to make business owners aware of Canva’s abortion policy.

Right to Life also raised awareness of Canva’s stance via their social media channels, which attracted the attention of the mainstream news outlet, Channel 10 News+ . Channel 10’s ongoing investigation of big tech companies led them to contact Right to Life for an interview, and this coverage has brought the issue to the attention of thousands all over Australia. Notably, Canva has also so far declined to respond to Channel 10 after the news team contacted its staff for a statement.

LifeSiteNews contacted the campaign manager for Right to Life, Haylea Kennedy, asking why the group was so passionate about drawing attention to Canva’s stance on abortion. She said that Right to Life had previously believed Canva to be neutral over abortion, if not pro-life, due to its core values statement. Kennedy pointed to the Canva website which states that the company strives to be “a force for good” and to “empower others,” and that it values good communication and anyone who is “a good human.”

Kennedy told LifeSiteNews that, “We believe that if your core values are being a ‘good human,’ then you wouldn’t be assisting in the taking of life at any stage.”