Being a student surrounded by many pro-life friends, it was inevitable for me to hear about the news: the pro-life group was denied club status at Trent. I decided to do some research on the situation to form a clear opinion. I watched the Sun News, looked at some of the comments on Facebook, and read Pat Reddick’s and Jack Braithwaite’s article. All of these were very inclined to give their own opinion while providing some sort of explanation of the issue. However, no one had talked to the two people that were actually involved in the issue. So, I decided to have an interview with Brea Hutchinson (TCSA President) and Heather Anne Robertson (Lifeline President), allowing you to be your own judge of the situation based on their answers.
Speaking with Trent Lifeline President Heather-Anne Robertson:
What would the pro-life group be doing? Could you give us some examples of activities or events?
We would have to discuss that because right now we are strictly fighting to have it. Our main objective would be to provide students with information on topics such as abortion and euthanasia, we would probably hold debates and information sessions. An example of an event would be to have Stephanie Gray, who often hosts debates and works at National Campus Life Network, give apologetics training, information sessions, talking with statistics, etc.
Could anyone join the group?
Everyone is able to join; the whole purpose is to have a discussion. It is important to have different sides of the discussion. Our club however would work with the pro-life message, but being challenged by other views would only help it grow.
What were the reasons that the group was denied the club status?
They gave an explanation when they contacted me, they said that campaigning for pro-life was not allowed on campus. They also said that our club would be exclusive and when we asked for a policy they said that they were unable to send a policy because they were working on it.
So, where is the case standing right now?
We are having an appeal on Friday [March 8]with the TSCA member, Brea, and another council member. Another club member will join me and help me appeal this.
What do you think about the cases in which the mother’s life is in danger?
This is a very big question because there are a lot of cases in which a mother’s life is in danger. It is too big of a question to be answered properly, but in all cases as pro-lifers we try not to look at the situation as an either-or situation but we try to find a way in order to help both. The pro-life movement does not like taking sides; we are pro-woman and pro-baby. We would need to look at the specific case.
Is the pro-life group restricted to issues of abortion and euthanasia or would it expand?
We would have to decide as a group. Abortion would probably be the main one, so is euthanasia. Birth control could also be covered, natural family planning (as an alternative to birth control), other life issues as in life support, and end of life decisions; those are all possible topics.
Do you have a team?
We already have some people involved, but the executive members need a process of voting. There are a few members with roles already, like financing events, but since we don’t have a club status we haven’t done anything formal yet.
Would men be a part of educating women in your group? What would their role be?
They are definitely welcome to join the club. It is important to have our men behind us; as women we need their support as well. It is important for them to have a say. It often becomes a saying “you are a man, you don’t understand.” It is important for them to be informed and that way they can spread the message as well and help with debate. The role of a man is very important because when the woman is faced with this type of decision since she is told, “A woman’s body, a woman’s choice.” It would probably be easier for her to make a decision with the support of the man. It would be courageous of a man to stand up for his woman and for life. In the club, it is always good to have a male’s presence because it is a life issue. They would also be welcome to form part of the executive team.
Would you talk about NFP?
Natural Family Planning works with the woman’s menstrual cycle in order to properly time the woman’s fertile period and uses this as an “organic” alternative to condoms or birth control pills. It is helpful to know when you want to get pregnant or not in order to avoid the need of an abortion.
Speaking with TCSA President Brea Hutchinson:
Before the question period began, Brea remarked, “There is always bias, there is truth to the circumstances and there is not truth to the circumstances, and I do not want to point to Jack, who says that we are going to court and we are not, we have the appeal process today at 3:OO p.m.”
What was the main reason that the pro-life group was denied club status?
There were some concerns in their application, which ranged from a variety of reasons. However, I think they are all solvable, and that’s why I am very excited about the appeal. One concern is that they are proposing to reference students to resources outside of medical resources as not being to the standards of Trent Health Services. Like right now every student pays $100 a year to Trent Health Services, Trent Counselling, and Trent Disabilities offices. So, should we have a club that suggests to go outside of [these] resources? Are they legitimate? Are they offering good medical advice? Those are some concerns, as an example.
Another example is that they have to show any National Affiliation, which they failed to do. You have to declare if you are a part of a national group, which provides them with insurance or helps them financially. They only missed to fill it up, because if you go to their web page they have a National Affiliation, but they just missed it in their application, which is why I think it was just miscommunication. Some people [are] making this a big deal when there are only small problems like this that can easily be solved.
There was another concern, which is the one that has been mostly talked about, the one of the club being exclusive, what was that about?
I will take responsibility for my office. We prohibit clubs that are exclusive, where only these kinds of people are allowed. All clubs must be open. For example, the Trent Muslim group allows everyone to attend regardless if they are Muslim or not.
So, what would be the exclusiveness of the pro-life group?
There is not. There is a problem of language of exclusiveness vs. Inclusiveness; the pro-life group has a particular opinion, but it includes people without the same one as them. This is where we made a mistake. We told their lawyer this. The problem is that they have gone from denial right to a lawyer, and they put us in a very compromised position in which we could not just say, “Oops, sorry.”And if they hadn’t gone to a lawyer they could have had their group by February 1, if we had heard their appeal. But since they went through a legal side the process slowed down a lot. I would like to see hundreds of groups on campus; we don’t really want to limit them. If Heather Anne had appealed to us sooner, we could have given the club status way sooner.
What do you think a pro-life group should do?
I identify myself as a pro-life person, in the broader sense.. I do not think we should have the death sentence, we should celebrate life, we shouldn’t let people die of starvation. And this is something I told a pro-life group three years ago, that I would love pro-life groups talking about why we need to care about maternity courts, because they are being shut down in the province. The problem is that pro-life has been so focused on the issue of abortion, if it should or should not be. Life is a really big concept; we should have a debate about the entire life, and not just nine months of it.
Do you think men should be involved in women’s issues today? Why?
I generally say yes, in the broader sense, because the vast majority of violence against women’s perpetrators are men. It is not a woman’s responsibility to stop hitting us, it is a man’s responsibility to stop hitting us. They should have a certain responsibility for their actions. And it all relies on education. I use the example of violence against women as the easiest one, but in the case of pro-life, I do not think that my ideas should not rely or be based on another person. And my decision is not going to be made regarding another person. It is case-specific, though.
What do you think about a case in which a mother’s life is in danger?
Abortion is a medical procedure; there is no significant debate around that, and the decision should be made between doctor and patient. I do not think there should be a law that makes the decision for them. The government should not be involved in this area of life.
Have you heard of NFP?
Yeah! From my understanding it is choosing when to have sex based on your position if you are ready or not to start a family. As opposed to having an unplanned pregnancy, striving to a state where all pregnancies are planned, I think that is great.
Yes and no. It is usually based on the woman’s natural cycle as opposed to the use of condoms and birth control.
Then I think that is up to the individual. This is where religion comes into it. We can all have personal preferences on religion and on what to follow. There are different people in different circumstances with different needs. We should eliminate barriers of access to birth control and condoms as much as possible. I will never advocate for you to have less medical options.
Do you believe in the importance of a group that promotes life on campus? What is it?
I think we need dialogue; we can only come to a conclusion that is not afraid and respectful with each other.
Do you think Trent needs more awareness in life issues?
This issue has brought up a lot of dialogue, and what students can and cannot do with or without club status. You as a student can have a dialogue in any room in a place. No one should feel stopped of giving their opinion for fear of retaliation. We need to build a community of trust. There is an inherent amount of trust that we have with each other, if we do not have this, we cannot have dialogue.