The organization behind the bright pink "It's your choice" sign on the QEII has launched a Patreon account to allow its supporters to make recurring donations for abortion advocacy across the region.
"I had so many requests from people to be able to donate on a monthly basis," Erica Posteraro, founder of AB for Abortion, told Taproot. The organization's Patreon offers members a community chat, pre-sale to future events, and discounted merchandise.
Posteraro's organization aims to provide accurate resources and education while advocating for abortion awareness across the province.
"(People are) very surprised to learn that one in four people who can get pregnant have had an abortion or will have an abortion in their lifetime," she said, citing a study from the Guttmacher Institute. "It is just so common, and it is incredibly safe."
The billboard that started it all is on a stretch of highway between Edmonton and Calgary that has long been peppered with pro-life signage. That's what inspired Posteraro to create AB for Abortion.
"The messaging is meant to shame people, (to) vilify what is a very normal healthcare procedure," she said. "I wanted to change the narrative a little bit away from Alberta just being this regressive, conservative province … If this project has taught me one thing, it's that we're not, really. There are a ton of progressive people here."
To secure funding for the billboard, AB for Abortion set up a GoFundMe in July 2024. The campaign jumped from $6,000 to over $40,000 in just a few days. "I was floored," Posteraro said. "I knew then at that moment that there was a lot to harness here to propel the project forward."
AB for Abortion put up the billboard less than a year later.
"When it went up, and I drove out there, watching it get installed, I was crying, and it was a big moment," she said. "It was that for thousands of people."
AB for Abortion's billboard on the side of the QE2 features Alberta's official flower, the wild rose. (AB for Abortion)
But in August 2025, the billboard was defaced twice in two weeks.
"Material things can be ruined, liberatory movements cannot," Posteraro wrote in an Instagram post after the vandalism.
"It really was an expected thing, just going by how many threats the project was getting on Instagram," she told Taproot. "Threats to burn down the billboard, to vandalize it, death threats to myself and to others who support it."
Posteraro said the vandalism has been one-sided, ideologically. "All of these years I've looked at (anti-abortion) billboards and have not touched them, and I really expect the same respect."
However, she said the incident was a silver lining. Donors contributed $3,000 within 24 hours of the vandalism, and the billboard was restored.
"It just created even more resiliency from the people who support the project," she said.
Posteraro plans for the billboard to be a known symbol on the QEII, just like its anti-abortion counterparts. "I want these to be up indefinitely," she said. "Definitely for at least a decade."
Posteraro hopes her advocacy can act as a framework for other provinces, citing a stretch of Highway 97 outside Kelowna with anti-abortion billboards that have since come down.
She is also aiming to give the billboard's imagery a refresh in the future.
"I'm seeking an Indigenous artist to do the design for the next phase of the billboard," she said. "I want to expand to imagery that is reflective of the people who were here first."
AB for Abortion plans to hold events in the future, such as an annual gala for pro-choice Edmontonians. On March 8, the organization is holding a fundraiser called Her Body, Her Choice at The Aviary. The event features live music by Bad Over Worse, Sadie & The Bookclub, Sour Cherry Switchblades, and Jordyn Rayne.