University Motion Orders Human-Life-Defending Groups to Invite Pro-Abortion Speakers

Country: United Kingdom

Date of incident: January 31, 2012


The students’ union of University College in London has passed a motion to officially make the campus “pro-choice” and to impose a “restriction of freedom of speech”.

The motion, to “support a student’s right to choose – UCLU should be pro-choice,” was passed on January 26th by 2,002 votes to 818. It formally affiliates the student body, whether pro-life or not, with a professional abortion lobby organization, called ‘Abortion Rights’. The motion quotes: “This Union believes: That both men and women have the right to exercise complete control over their own bodies and this includes the right to decide whether to terminate a pregnancy or not.” The motion requires pro-life groups to inform the Union in advance of events “so that pro-choice campaigns have the opportunity to campaign at the same time with an equal budget and an equal amount of advertising space and vice versa.” All future open events, the motion states, must invite both an “anti-choice” and “pro-choice” speaker “to ensure there is a balance to the argument.” The motion also dictates that campus groups, including the chaplaincies, must invite pro-abortion speakers to their events in equal numbers to pro-life speakers when addressing “terminations.” Kajtek Skowronski, a second year medical student at UCL, said that this effectively prevents any club or campus society from identifying itself as exclusively pro-life and that such groups are prevented from “expressing their beliefs on campus.” “To impose so-called ‘balance’ upon people’s deeply held beliefs is insulting, and a restriction of freedom of speech,” he said. Neil Addison, lawyer and expert on religious discrimination law, said that the motion is “completely illegal” under The Education Act 1986, and under Articles 9, 10, and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. “The Student Union has no right to dictate what speakers are invited by student organizations.” Sources: http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/university-orders-pro-life-groups-to-invite-pro-abortion-speakers-declares/ http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/religious-freedom/ucl-students-vote-against-religious-freedom http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2012/01/25/student-union-attempts-to-restrict-pro-life-talks/