McGill Pro-Life Club Gets Status Back — With A Catch

Via Big Blue Wave, we learn that McGill’s pro-life club has had their club status reinstated (after it was suspended in the fall), but with a little bit of a catch.

“A lot of their complaints revolved around the ambiguity of our equity policy, or ambiguity of their actual violations of the equity policy,” Olle said. “It’s good that we have come to some sort of agreement on a black and white document.”

In particular, the document stipulates that “Choose Life will not advocate or lobby for the criminalization of abortion through the use of SSMU resources.”

I wonder how often the SSMU decides what a club may lobby for or against? I suppose this is a standard practice, of actively amending constitutions with specific restrictions on certain politic activities.

Though, I suppose it’s better for Choose Life than not having their status at all… I don’t think any of the students want to waste their lives fighting against sensationalist, whiny student union reps, and this seems to be a very particular restriction. I suppose one could advocate or lobby against legalized abortion without advocating or lobbying for its criminalization (things can be illegal but not criminal), or one could also advocate or lobby for the criminalization of abortion without using SSMU resources. One could also explain how abortion is ethically unjust and how it hurts women without lobbying or advocating for its criminalization. And, this would in no way affect efforts with regards to IVF, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia or assisted suicide.

But, still, it’s a pretty troubling precedent…