A group of Canadian automotive writers said that they will avoid attending media events in American states that do not protect reproductive rights. A draft open letter received signatures from more than 30 industry professionals in the country.

In the letter, which you can read here, Elle Alder, a Toronto-based automotive journalist and photorgapher, wrote that “politics are compromising our industry peers’ rights, safety, dignity, and opportunity.”

Media events are hosted by automakers to allow a large group of writers from a variety of outlets to drive their vehicles. Given Canada‘s small size and its proximity to the U.S., press events for the country’s writers are often extensions of American events. That means that Canadian auto writers must frequently go to the U.S. on assignment.

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It was on just such an assignment that Alder decided to write the draft letter, he told Autonews Canada. In Utah on June 24 as the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling, he said that Utah’s trigger law “had effectively banned any kind of care in that state” by dinnertime.

“As journalists and media professionals, our participation rewards local governments with tax revenue on the hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in each of these programs,” Alder wrote. “By expressing our preference to see these expenditures directed to places where all colleagues and locals are respected, and by likewise avoiding events that seek to look the other way, we eschew passive complicity for an active statement of integrity and an acknowledgement of our own roles in this complex situation.”

Alder, who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, said that the majority of people who signed the draft letter, intended to politely decline events in states that are identified as “hostile” by the Center for Reproductive Rights

That includes Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, North Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Abortion is now illegal in Idaho, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama, and West Virginia.

“If a state has a position on Roe, all those things [like protections for LGBTQ+ and people of color] tend to follow it,” Alder said. “With gay marriage and trans stuff, there’s a very strong argument you won’t be able to participate completely in those states.”

A ‘Touchy Subject’ For Automakers

Canadian press offices, which are also being asked to move events away from these states, are finding it tricky to navigate these waters. When asked about the matter, some representatives went off the record to tell Autonews that it’s a ‘touchy subject’, adding that “while they might recognize the reluctance to attend events in such states, the desire to still sell cars in those states is an incentive to not publicly blacklist any location”.

Mazda Canada said it only hosts events in Canada or California, where reproductive rights are protected. It does not, however, have an official policy. A spokesperson for Toyota Canada, meanwhile, said that although the company is aware of concerns, its events are often hosted in conjunction with Toyota’s U.S. division, which has earlier access to vehicles than it does. That could mean that Canadian writers would have to wait months longer before being given access to press vehicles. But there’s good reason to wait, according to Alder.

“For automakers, shifting events to equal-rights states is an opportunity to put action to the words of their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts,” wrote Alder. “By redirecting movable travel and hosting investment to neutral or rights-protected states, manufacturers can demonstrate solidarity and respect for all of the travelers they host, and reduce liabilities by ensuring that participants have access to the full spectrum of legal protections and healthcare in the event of an emergency.”