Tuesday March 2, 2010
Embattled University of Victoria Pro-Life Club Stages Free Speech Protest
VICTORIA, British Columbia, March 2, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The University of Victoria’s pro-life club, Youth Protecting Youth (YPY), is holding a free speech protest at the university’s Student Union Building on Tuesday.
The students are protesting the fact that club funding has been withheld from them for four semesters in the past two years. This semester, after heated discussion, a motion was passed to deny them club status. The club attempted to call a Special General Meeting of undergraduate students to appeal this decision, but their request was denied by the UVic Students Society Board of Directors (UVSS).
This semester, YPY once again put up posters created by Feminists for Life. One of the posters features a large picture of a baby with the question: “Is this the face of the enemy?” The other has a picture of a large man in a wheelchair, and asks: “Would you say that to my face? Would you tell me that I should have never been born?”
These posters have sparked controversy in the past, and have led to YPY’s current denial of status and funding. The club, however, maintains that while the posters may be controversial, they do not constitute harassment, as has been alleged. Thus, they say, they do not merit the removal of club status and funding.
The message YPY hopes to send is that their right to free speech is being infringed upon.
“In a society with true freedom of speech, people are going to be offended sometimes,” says Anastasia Pearse, president of YPY. “Just because some people disagree with or are offended by a message does not mean it constitutes harassment or is worthy of censorship.”
YPY believes their message is of utmost importance, stating that if what they say is true, hundreds of innocent human beings are being killed every day in our country. The club says it seeks to uphold the dignity of all human beings, from the earliest stages of life onwards – including pregnant women.
The posters that have caused the controversy also advocate for better support for pregnant women and mothers in difficult situations.
The club maintains that the university should be a place for open and respectful discussion, and that this discussion is halted when one side is reprimanded for expressing their views. They say that UVSS is sending a message that freedom of expression does not extend to students with unpopular or controversial views.
Links to the posters used by YPY:
Poster 1
Poster 2
To contact the University of Victoria with your concern or opinion:
Dr. David H. Turpin, President, University of Victoria
3800 Finnerty Road
PO Box 1700 STN CSC
Victoria BC V8W 2Y2
Canada
Phone: 250-721-7002
Fax: 250-721-8654
University of Victoria Students’ Society (UVSS) Resource Centre
Phone: 250-721-8368
Fax: 250-721-4379
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
B.C. Civil Liberties Association Goes to Bat for Pro-Life Student Club
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/feb/10020807.html
University of Victoria Abortion Debate Overflows Capacity
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/oct/09102208.html
University of Victoria Pro-Life Student Club Once Again Denied Funding
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09031807.html