This story originally appeared in our February 17, 2016 issue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cI think [the policy] is a little convoluted, but it\u2019s definitely better than the opposite,\u201d says second-year Pre-Social Work student Olivia Bing. \u201cIt\u2019s really awesome because the pro-life protesters are usually really intrusive. They\u2019ve done it up at UVic, and I don\u2019t really think it\u2019s a place to do that. You don\u2019t know the kind of emotion it\u2019s going to evoke from someone. So I think it\u2019s definitely good to be inclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not being aware of this policy and not having a choice as to where their money goes are the main issues for the students we spoke with, although no one was against the policy.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I\u2019m all for it. If it\u2019s helping move toward change, I\u2019m okay with it,\u201d says first-year Visual Arts student Rheanna Bruce. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of mixed feelings, but in the end I am pro-choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
University Transfer student Pierce Newman says that it\u2019s \u201cnot a bad choice\u201d for something that will cost him more money through his student fees.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would be much more up in arms about something like the vice president or president getting a new office, or something like that,\u201d he says. \u201cSo I think it\u2019s great in a way that they\u2019ve chosen that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grant says she hasn\u2019t analyzed all of the CFS\u2019 policies in depth, but she was aware of the pro-choice decisions the CFS has been making. In regards to denying a pro-life group access to form on campus, Grant says it\u2019s behaviour-dependent.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone can hold any opinion; it\u2019s what you do with that opinion,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve seen is other student unions, with clubs and groups forming that are pro-life, it\u2019s what those groups tend to engage in, spreading information and images that are very triggering, potentially, and that are inaccurate,\u201d says Grant.<\/p>\n
Grant says that because of that history of behaviour, there is hesitancy surrounding pro-life groups on campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I believe at the Camosun College Student Society, if we had a group apply of that nature, they wouldn\u2019t be denied, but they would be watched, because there is a long history of groups of this nature engaging in behaviour that makes students feel unsafe and perpetuates misinformation,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
CCSS executive director Michel Turcotte is familiar with the CFS policy and feels that it\u2019s \u201ccompletely acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Canadian Federation of Students, both federally and provincially, are declared pro-choice organizations,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
The Debate<\/strong><\/p>\nNational Campus Life Network (NCLN) is a pro-life organization that mentors students on Canadian campuses and advocates for human-rights issues. They also aim to support pregnant women by equipping students with resources and training, and by coordinating national campaigns and on-campus events. NCLN has done work at the University of Victoria but has not set anything up at Camosun.<\/p>\n
NCLN executive director Anastasia Pearse says her own personal values align directly with the organization\u2019s views on abortion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe consider ourselves to be a pro-life organization, and we believe that all human beings have human rights and value and are therefore worthy of the same right to life as you and I, regardless of their abilities, circumstances they find themselves in, or their age,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd human life begins at conception; therefore anything that directly and intentionally kills an innocent human being from that point onward is wrong. So because of this we specifically address issues such as abortion and euthanasia.\u201d<\/p>\n
NCLN opposes the CFS policy that offers support to student societies who choose to deny pro-life groups the right to form on campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that these organizations say that they can, in that policy, alienate specific groups of students,\u201d says Pearse. \u201cWhat they need to do is ensure that diversity is encouraged on their campuses. I think that with controversial issues, the solution is not to censor one side, but rather to encourage the debate, especially on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Opposition to their cause is something that Pearse and the NCLN are familiar with, but it doesn\u2019t stop them from being vocal and forthcoming about what they believe in. Pearse says that pro-life groups shouldn\u2019t be prohibited from being on campus because they hold a view that isn\u2019t popular amongst college students.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust because they hold an unpopular belief doesn\u2019t mean that they should not be allowed on campus,\u201d says Pearse, \u201cbecause then many clubs would also have to be denied or silenced because they are the minority or hold an unpopular belief.\u201d<\/p>\n
The NCLN says they aren\u2019t looking for any \u201cspecial treatment\u201d; they just want to be able to give their side of the discussion without being censored in this debate.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re just looking for the same treatment as any other club,\u201d says Pearse. \u201cAnd so that means being able to share our message on campus, being allowed to have access to the same resources as any other club, and being encouraged to engage in open and respectful dialogue with other students.\u201d<\/p>\n
The CCSS\u2019 Turcotte approaches the matter diplomatically and says he keeps his personal views out of the equation when discussing this matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s important for others to be able to differentiate how they personally feel about something from how they professionally or from a societal point of view look at something,\u201d he says. \u201cI actually come from a fairly religious background and so my personal views on the subject, and whether or not I would encourage anyone personally to get an abortion, is a different issue. I don\u2019t believe it\u2019s appropriate for me to be telling other people what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the CFS making policies about it that directly impact students, Turcotte thinks this issue should not be a campus problem, or one that any student society should have to deal with.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudent unions should try and stay away from that debate as much as possible, because it tends to divide members,\u201d he says. \u201cYou have members that come from various backgrounds; religious, non-religious, different ethnic backgrounds, where there are still various points of view on this subject. But, ultimately, I think that student societies do need to stand up for a woman\u2019s right to choose. And that was something that the Supreme Court of Canada decided when it threw out the existing abortion laws.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Belief<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cI\u00a0wish there wasn\u2019t a need for abortion,\u201d says 40 Days for Life Victoria representative Alexander Berns. \u201cI wish society was back like it was when I was a kid growing up; you gave your bus seat up for a pregnant woman, you opened doors for a pregnant woman, you saw a pregnant woman or knew of a pregnant woman in your neighbourhood, it\u2019s almost like automatically by virtue of being pregnant, they had first place in everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
40 Days for Life is in the midst of their local vigil outside the Victoria Women\u2019s Clinic. The vigil includes prayer, fasting, and public outreach.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s called a prayer vigil,\u201d says Berns. \u201cIt\u2019s normally held at the intersection of Helmcken and the Old Island Highway, across from the View Royal Square, because that\u2019s where the abortions take place, and we\u2019ve decided that we\u2019d tackle the women\u2019s clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Vancouver Island Women\u2019s Clinic declined to comment to Nexus<\/i> about the 40 Days for Life organization.<\/p>\n
When asked about pro-choice organizations, Berns says that \u201cthey\u2019re all children of God, and I can\u2019t denounce what God has made; if I do that, I\u2019m not a very good Christian at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I don\u2019t see with them eye-to-eye, that\u2019s okay. I don\u2019t have to like what they stand for, but I do have to treat them with dignity, and that goes for the Vancouver Island Women\u2019s Clinic,\u201d says Berns. \u201cIt\u2019s a service that\u2019s legal in Canada. We wish it didn\u2019t need to be legal, or that there wasn\u2019t an environment where it becomes profitable to operate such a clinic. I think it reflects back on our whole society that has failed somewhat, and we should change that around.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not taking the violent or invasive approach that some claim to typically see from pro-life groups, Berns and 40 Days for Life say they want to remain peaceful and respectful.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe pray. That\u2019s all we\u2019re allowed to do; that\u2019s all that we promote,\u201d says Berns. \u201cAnd then any resources that we discover that are available locally, we present them to anyone that comes and asks. There are resources out there to help, and to help her finish her degree or whatever it is that\u2019s making her lean toward having an abortion. There are many reasons, many reasons. And we respect each and every single one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grant opposes the 40 Days for Life organization and has a different opinion on the severity of their protests, vigils, and methods.<\/p>\n
\u201cI find it\u2019s unfortunate that folks believe that holding protests and vigils of this nature, to protest outside of an abortion clinic, accomplishes anything. Like I said, it\u2019s about conversation, regardless of what I feel about their views. Holding a sign and demonizing women accessing healthcare does not accomplish anything. Regardless of their stance, I don\u2019t find their methods at all effective; they don\u2019t do anything but demonize women accessing healthcare.\u201d<\/p>\n
The deep-rooted debate about abortion on local campuses and off is not one with an end in sight. For Grant, abortion is a health-care service that people rely on, and it should be available to everyone who needs it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a human right to be able to take care of your body,\u201d she says. \u201cWhy this is a controversy is concerning to me, the fact that\u2019s it\u2019s still a controversial issue when we have the research and accessibility to information on abortion that we do. But it\u2019s clearly ignorance to feel that it\u2019s okay to demonize abortion the way people do.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The controversy surrounding abortion is not a new debate in Victoria, be it on campus or in the community. Choosing a side, either pro-life or pro-choice, divides people, and with a pro-life organization holding a vigil in town, the debate is on people\u2019s minds as strongly as ever. Pro-life group 40 Days for Life is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11673,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11697"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11698,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11697\/revisions\/11698"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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