An unlikely coalition of student groups has defeated a motion which would have made Cardiff University students’ union officially pro-abortion.
As a result the union will continue to allow debate on abortion, without formally adopting a stance.
The news was welcomed by Dr Tim Stanley, a pro-life advocate and columnist for the Daily Telegraph who was recently refused the opportunity to debate at Oxford University.
Rare alignment
A rare alignment of student bodies, including atheists, humanists, Christians, Muslims and LGBT rights proponents formed a coalition called “Keep Cardiff Uni Free” to defeat the motion.
Their collective argument was welcomed by the students’ union, which “decisively” voted to uphold a neutral stance on the issue.
Ollie Wannell, who represents Cardiff University students’ union, said: “Let’s now see how we can all move forwards together to represent the interests of all students, regardless of their beliefs.”
Freedom
Jonathan O’Connell, president of pro-life group Students for Life, had previously warned of the dangers involved with limiting free speech.
He said: “The university environment has long been a bastion of free speech, which the proposed motion seeks to attack.
“There are huge implications in enforcing a single ideology or political viewpoint across the whole student populace; not least of all it restricts students’ freedom of expression as well as directly limiting the religious freedom of certain student groups.”
Victory
Writing for the Telegraph last week, Dr Stanley said that the decision was an obvious victory for freedom of speech.
He had raised concerns last month after an abortion debate organised by an Oxford University pro-life student group was cancelled, over ‘safety concerns’.
Stanley said: “When you deny someone the right to speak, you also deny someone the right to listen.
Rights
“As such the attempts by mobs or student unions to curtail the actions of even crazy/virulent individuals does not only impact upon the bad – it also restricts the rights of the wider citizenry.”
He concluded, “no one has the right to tell intelligent students that they’re not ready to hear a dissenting view on reproductive freedom or membership of the EU.
“If they don’t want to hear it, then they don’t have to listen to it.”