A Scottish pro-life university society which received complaints for “breaching a safe space” has been cleared of any wrongdoing, following an investigation from the Students Association. Aberdeen Life Ethics Society, a pro-life university society in Scotland, came under scrutiny after showing accurate abortion images at their event.
Investigated for showing accurate abortion images
The pro-life student group, allegedly generated complaints after showing accurate abortion images at their event held on March 12th; Does abortion Violate Human Rights.
Complaints to the Aberdeen University Student Association (AUSA) included allegations that the student’s use of real images had broken the universities ‘safe space policy.’
Following an investigation, AUSA informed the complainants that “the issues have been raised with Aberdeen life Ethics Society and they have provided assurances to AUSA that clearer and more explicit content warnings, and cautions will be issued, prior to showing similar videos in the future,” and that “on this basis we have concluded that no further action will be taken by AUSA against Aberdeen Life Ethics Society and this matter is now concluded.”
An honest discussion of abortion
In a statement, Aberdeen Life Ethics Society said:
“In response to these unfounded complaints, we provided AUSA with various examples of our efforts to warn attendees about sensitive content. We maintain that these efforts fulfilled our obligation to caution anyone who might be uncomfortable with an honest discussion of abortion (i.e., the intentional killing of antenatal humans by vacuum aspiration, poisoning, and/or dismemberment).
“Thankfully, AUSA was satisfied with our defence against these vexatious complaints and will take no action against us.
“We look forward to organising future public events about the ethical importance of human life in the womb, and we pledge to continue to offer clear and explicit content warnings about the grisly reality of abortion."
So-called safe spaces are in fact censorship zones
Dr Tom Rogers, SPUC Education Outreach Manager said: "We very much welcome this outcome and the stand the student association has taken, in this case, to defend freedom of speech. We also fully support the efforts of these students to raise awareness and debate about the reality of abortion amongst their peers, and are concerned that conscientious young people who campaign for the most basic of human rights had to be put through this at all.
"Standing for the right to life is the very last thing that should be controversial in a civilised society, but, regardless of that, a university should always be a “safe space” where these so-called “controversial” viewpoints can be aired and debated properly without censorship or intimidation from those who disagree with them. Such so-called "safe spaces”, however, are in practice censorship zones which should have no place at a university.”
Dr Rogers continued: “It seems like the pro-life students even went the extra mile to ensure all those attending their event were forewarned that entirely honest evidence of the reality of abortion would be presented, so that students could make up their own minds about whether to attend or not, on that basis. Not even that, however, is enough for those who are determined to shut down all debate and ensure no one has access to the truth. It is exactly that sort of censorship that abortion has thrived on - at the cost of millions of innocent lives"