Thursday February 11, 2010
McGill Students Vote against Ban on Pro-Life Groups
MONTREAL, QC, February 11, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On Wednesday the undergraduates at McGill University voted against a motion that would ban the current pro-life club, Choose Life, and any future pro-life club on campus. The vote happened at the Student Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) General Assembly (GA).
While this result prevents Choose Life from being permanently banned, the club is still suspended as a result of a motion SSMU voted in favor of on November 12th. That motion was passed in response to past events, such as the club’s hosting of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign and Jose Ruba from the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform.
Recently, SSMU’s Equity Committee had met with Choose Life in order to impose sanctions on the club following what they claim to be misconduct. Despite some councillors’ opposition to Choose Life sharing their pro-life beliefs on campus, however, the recent vote appears to demonstrate that McGill students still support freedom of speech.
“We are very pleased with the outcome of this vote,” said Natalie Fohl, president of Choose Life. “Clearly the message is that McGill students recognize that a university is where values and beliefs will be challenged with opposing ideas and that this is exactly where those ideas should be explored.
“We hope and expect SSMU to acknowledge the same and restore Choose Life’s club status. It is time that we are treated like all the other clubs on campus.”