Attempted Pro-Abortion Censorship on Carleton Campus

From Carleton University in Canada, an attempt to stiffle anti-abortion speech on campus.

Ottawa, Canada (LifeNews.com) -- Carleton University is coming under fire from pro-life advocates in Canada because the student government there is considering a proposal that would prohibit pro-life organizations on campus. Pro-life advocates are upset saying it would restrict free speech at the college.

Katy McIntyre, vice-president of services for the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA), proposed a motion last week that would amend the student society’s discrimination policy.

Her proposal would state that “no CUSA resources, space, recognition or funding be allocated for anti-choice purposes.”

Shawn Menard, president of the association, told the CBC the motion came in response to complaints from the pro-abortion group on campus about a debate the campus pro-life group Lifeline organized about whether abortion should be legal.

“It’s discriminatory to not provide a female with a choice surrounding her body,” Menard said.

Sarah Fletcher, the president of Lifeline Carleton, told the CBC the motion discriminates against the pro-life group and threatens the existence of religious clubs on campus that oppose abortion as well.

“There are students at Carleton who do have a pro-life point of view, and those students need to be represented,” she said. “We feel it’s an infringement on our basic rights.”

Menard said students are free to debate but shouldn’t use CUSA space or money.

The council is expected to take a vote on the pro-abortion proposal on December 5.

Another source gives some more detail about the “reasoning” of the very politically correct Ms. McIntyre.

According to McIntyre, anti-choice groups are gender-discriminatory and violate CUSA’s safe space practices.

The motion focuses on anti-choice groups because they aim to abolish freedom of choice by criminalizing abortion. McIntyre said this discriminates against women, and that it violates the Canadian Constitution by removing a woman’s right to “life, liberty and security” of person.

McIntyre said she received complaints after Lifeline organized an academic debate on whether or not elective abortion should be made illegal.

“[These women] were upset the debate was happening on campus in a space that they thought they were safe and protected, and that respected their rights and freedoms,” said McIntyre.

You read that right. Some feminists were “upset” because there was a debate on campus.

Such is the sort of argument that the leftist authoritarians use to try to shut up ideas that they don’t like.

It’s quite similar to that of Marquette Gay/Straight Alliance President, who said that no speaker opposing gay marriage should be allowed on campus because any such opposition would be “hate speech.”

And indeed it’s reminiscent of Philosophy Department Chair James South, who tore down, from the door of a gradute student, a quote from humorist Dave Barry claiming it was “patently offensive.”

The campus left, in other words, has a rapidly proliferating battery of arguments for silencing viewpoints they don’t like.