An attempt to expel a pro-life group from the student union has failed, after students rejected a motion by almost two to one.
At a recent meeting of Newcastle University’s Student Council, 63 per cent of members voted down a motion called “De-Ratify Life Society”. Only 35 per cent voted in favour.
The defeat comes as pro-life groups in Cardiff and Glasgow face similar attempts to curb their free speech.
’Discriminatory’
The motion against Newcastle University’s Life Society claimed that the group was “discriminatory” and “harmful to students”.
It said that “university is a time when many young women may get pregnant” and “are unlikely to want a child and therefore may opt for an abortion”.
As well as seeking to de-ratify the group, the motion also called for the student council to “work to prevent any anti-abortion groups/campaigns on campus”.
Free speech win
After the vote, the Alliance of Pro-Life Students – a UK wide group which seeks to ‘build, support and connect student pro-life societies’ – criticised the attack.
It said the policy against Life Society was “both discriminatory against minority groups and would make many who are pro-life feel unwelcome on campus”, adding that it was “good news” that “free speech prevailed”.
Pressure
Pro-life students at a number of other universities have also experienced concerted attacks against them.
At Cardiff University, a petition has been circulating demanding the “Disbandment of ‘Students For Life’”, and accusing the group of ‘exploiting the trauma of abused young women to satisfy their own self-interested political and religious agendas’.
At the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, attempts to gain recognition for a pro-life society have so far failed, with the Students’ Association saying “access to a safe abortion may be a determining factor in whether or not someone is able to continue their studies”.
‘Unimpeded’
And at Dundee University, the Students’ Union was slammed after it banned pro-life group SPUC from attending a freshers’ fayre in 2014.
The Alliance of Pro-Life Students says it will continue to “stand up against these motions with pro-life groups and ensure that they continue to operate on campus unimpeded by such moves”.