It is with considerable reluctance that I find myself writing this letter. I have been a pro-choice activist for 20 years, and remain passionate about this issue. But I think the Federation is making a terrible mistake supporting student unions that deny common resources to pro-life groups on Canadian campuses.
It is a mistake for two reasons. One, it is fundamentally wrong. As much as we may personally oppose their point of view, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms gives them every right to express it and proselytize to other students. Two, it is a strategic error; by your actions, you do harm to the pro-choice movement.
Let’s deal with the first point. We live in a free country, and among our fundamental freedoms are freedom of conscience and freedom of speech. This means in effect that we can adhere to any belief system or moral code, and that we have the right to freely speak about and publish it, provided it does not promote hate against an identifiable group.
While undoubtedly there are individual exceptions, the pro-life movement as a whole does not promote hatred. They argue that a fetus is a person, even blessed with a soul, and as such has an absolute right to life. Consequently they equate abortion with murder. They are sincere in this belief. Personally, I think this is a deeply problematic—I would even say fantastic—notion. And personally, I believe that it is a travesty to suggest that a fetus has rights that are equal to, or surpass, those of an adult citizen of this society.
That said, I will also candidly admit that I’m glad they raise the ethical questions they do. While we disagree, their arguments about the definition and value of human life are legitimate additions to our ongoing attempts to understand the human condition. We lose nothing considering these arguments. And through this conflict they keep our side intellectually sharp and help us avoid complacency.
My personal and vehement disagreement does not lead me to think I have the right to silence them, nor to deny them the right to any public platform that we pro-choicers have a right to. By denying pro-life groups the chance to take part in public debates on campus, by denying them the resources available to other student groups, you have infringed on their fundamental right to free speech.
Here’s the thing about rights: it’s not as though they’re personal. They’re not things we can hold close to our chests to protect. We all share our fundamental rights, equally.
And that brings me to my second point. The last thing you want to do is endanger the rights to free speech that pro-choicers have and exercise. If our opponents’ rights can be infringed upon, so can ours. Is it so hard to imagine some kind of adverse official reaction to the blow against pro-life groups, leading to a debate-quashing notion of “fairness” that would leave campus a controversy-free zone?
Moreover, you have managed to do the pro-lifers a great favour—you’ve made them martyrs. For now they can legitimately claim to be the underdogs, and their fundamental right to speak on campus on an equal footing with other students has been taken away. That will only enhance the appeal of their message.
Worse, the actions of these student unions give the impression—whether true or false—that pro-choicers are unwilling to meet in open intellectual combat and defend our position. Ladies and gentlemen, we should welcome the chance to debate them in public, at any and every opportunity. Make them defend their nonsense in a public forum. Ultimately, their belief that women should not be in control of their own bodies is insupportable, and in a modern liberal democracy will not become a majority position. Don’t be afraid—be eager for the contest!
So I ask you to reconsider your position. Denounce any student unions that deny pro-life groups equal status with other student groups. The same Charter that was instrumental in overturning abortion laws maintains the right of Canadians to disagree with that ruling. And indeed, I would argue that same Charter gives young people entering the intellectual ferment of university life a right to hear both sides of this vitally important issue.
Nick Van der Graaf is a Toronto writer.
