McGill University Suspends Choose Life
McGill University is in Montreal, Canada. The school's SSMU Council voted 16 to 7 to suspend the club status of Choose Life. The anti-abortion club gave out false health care information and showed graphic images. The school had fears Choose Life events created an environment that threatened student safety. I have personally seen Christian conservative activists become confrontational with students on the Tampa USF campus. I wrote about an incident that was reported by the USF student newspaper The Oracle.
The student said she was waiting for class, sitting on a bench near the Subway outside of Cooper Hall, when evangelist John M. Kranert charged at her with his fist up, running until he stopped inches from her face, before he stuck his finger out and called her a whore.
"I remember this, when he was telling me, that I was fully covered," she said.
People should have the right to protest. Engaging in physically confrontational behavior is where the line is drawn.
The pamphlets handed out by Choose Life gave false information about abortions being linked to breast cancer. I previously wrote that the National Cancer Institute found no link between abortions and breast cancer. This doesn't stop Christian Right groups from using bogus science to scare people. Choose Life president Natalie Fohl blamed the false information on Silent No More Awareness, the makers of the pamphlets.
Choose Life's club status is under review. Fohl is not happy with the McGill University's treatment of Choose Life.
“I really don’t feel that if people properly understood what our position was that they would be saying what they said,” Fohl said. “It sounds good to say, ‘No, we’re not limiting free speech,’ but it really is saying, ‘You say what you want but only this way.’”
Fohl fails to realize there will be blow back, if Choose Life gives out false health information and holds events that pose safety concerns. Free speech is a wonderful thing. Just don't expect people to agree with what you have to say.
Labels: abortion, christian right
posted by Michael Hussey @ 2:51 PM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Abortion does not kill unborn babies either, children are not living until they leave the womb. Until that time it's womens choice whether or not the fetus lives or dies. This topic should be open for debate on a college campus
This abortion issue is very similar and no different to what occured here in Calgary Alberta at our University of Calgary. The Pro-Life Campus (Leah Hallman, president) was issued by the University of Calgary with a charge of tresspassing in order to prevent Pro-Life Campus student members from promoting its graphic images on campus grounds against abortion.
Although no all would agree with this kind of action (graphic imagery) to prove a point, all can agree with our rights and freedoms for freedom of speech and expression in this country. That to me is the greater issue in this story and for such non recognition and non compliance of these rights and freedoms to occur on university grounds, is even more insulting and transgressive. That is why this group of CHOOSE LIFE students must now now choose to fight.......and win they will.
I am pleased to inform all of you that in the end, the Calgary University faculty finally backed off and the charges were "stayed" in affect (whether the university chooses to admit or not) admitting that the Pro-Life students had been falsely charged. Again I wish to remind all that this is a matter of "freedom of speech and freedom of expression......period.
I remind all readers of this post that the Pro-Life students from Calgary stated that this matter was one of "right of free speech and right of free expression" under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in this country.
I suggest to these students of McGill University belonging to Choose Life.....that their cause is no different for just as The University of Calgary is in fact situated in Canada.......so too is McGill University and the laws and constitution of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms in this country of Canada also apply equally to the McGill University as well.
In closing I would further suggest that these "CHOOSE LIFE" students contact our "PRO-LIFE" students here in Calgary via Leah Hallman for direction and suggestions as to how to go about getting justice under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in this country.
Perhaps the same group of litigators (lawyers) would be interested in initating a similar "winning" defense for CHOOSE Life" as they did for PRO-LIFE here in Calgary.
Peace and blessings to all who cherish and value our freedoms here in Canada.
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