Josh Kolic’s Beef with Free Speech
Wow. Josh Kolic, Lakehead University Student Union’s VP Finance, really has it in for pro-life clubs. Clarissa posted the NCLN press release on Friday, and Josh appeared in the comments calling the Lakehead pro-life group an “extremist” organization.
You know your argument is solid when all you can do is call your opponents “extremists.”
That same day, Kolic wrote an open letter to Lakehead students trying to garner support for his crusade. It’s hard to know where to begin, so we’ll take it from the start.
In a great victory for human rights on this campus, Life Support was denied club status in our first board meeting this year.
In other words, assuming what needs to be proven and glossing over the very centre of the debate — are the unborn human? Kolic clearly isn’t studying biology.
Sadly, a contingent of board members has continued to openly meet with Life Support members and is attempting to have that decision overturned. It is believed that these members are acting in the interest of an interest group and not in the interests of the student body as a whole.
It is believed… by whom?
I believe that Lakehead University is a campus that values human rights.
Oh, by Josh. Right. So, only board members who agree with Kolic are acting in the interest of the student body as a whole. Other board members, other student representatives, don’t represent students. Only Josh does. Because students value human rights, as Kolic selectively defines them — not including the right to life of unborn human beings, or a right to free speech of Lakehead students (or board members…).
Nice use of the passive voice. Almost had me there.
As your Vice President Finance, I met with members of Life Support in early October and suggested to them that if they truly wanted to represent “pro-life” values that they would perhaps be better served advocating for increased programs for expectant mothers on this campus or increased funding for child care services on campus rather than simply maintain an anti-choice stance by denigrating those who believe in a woman’s right to choose. The group turned down my proposal. Almost immediately.
As VP Finance, Kolic believes that he has the right to set the agenda of student clubs, and ignore the fact that many of the pro-life organizations that Life Support is connected with are doing those very things.
Kolic: If I can’t run your group, then you won’t be recognized.
I find it interesting that while Life Support refuses to change its aggressive and exclusive focus, not a single group that favours the pro-choice option ever advocates exclusively for women to have abortions. This statement might seem somewhat ridiculous in that I’m simply pointing out the obvious, but it is very telling in terms of the tactics that Life Support continues to employ. In fact, the neutral stance is simply one that allows the individual woman herself to choose. This stance is the one that I believe LUSU should advocate and certainly the one that I believe that you as a student body would advocate for as well.
At least he’s not shy about it. This isn’t about being “neutral” or even about respecting the LUSU constitution. It’s about pushing a pro-choice perspective onto the entire university through the student union. Board members and students who disagree? Well, they don’t count — Josh knows what the student body believes.
What an exemplary representative of the student body.
As your elected representative, I believe that you as a student body agree that a woman has a right to make decisions regarding her body. I believe that we as a student body agree with the BC Supreme Court that the existence of groups such as Life Support violate the rights of students on campus. It was once said in this country that the state has no place in the bedrooms of this nation. I also contend that the state has no place within a woman’s body. Neither does a student union club.
The state has no place in the bedroom… except when it involves tax dollars. The state has no place within a woman’s body, yet it’s apparently not okay to talk about the body inside a woman’s body that the state routinely facilitates the destruction of. The student union club should agree with Kolic’s politics if it wants to be recognized.
This isn’t the voice of a responsible representative of the student body, seeking to respect the LUSU constitution and treat all students justly. This is a renegade activist abusing his position of responsibility to force his own political views and sense of morality on the student body.
“Don’t impose your morality on others!” Oh, wait…
I would ask all of you who support a woman’s right to choose [choose what?] to come to our next board meeting and – as the Life Support group has done – give a deputation to the board as to why a woman’s right to choose [choose what?] is important to you.
It’s not about whether or not the group has a right to exist. It’s about whether or not people who don’t like the group can be loud enough to abuse the LUSU and shut Life Support out.
I implore you to help restore democracy and the spirit of human rights to the Lakehead University Student Union.
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Sorry. Lost it for a second.
Someone want to send Kolic a treatise on freedom of speech and democracy? Or a biology textbook? According to NCLN, Josh admitted at the Nov 5th meeting that they were in violation of their own constitution. He’s using his position of responsibility as a student representative and his ignorance of the pro-life position to hijack the LUSU and force his own political views onto the campus. Now, he has the gall to invoke ideals of democracy?
Seriously, Josh, I’m sure you’re a nice guy. Please, stop embarrassing yourself.
Stupak Amendment — If “Reproductive Health” Folks Are Mad, It’s Gotta Be Good
I haven’t been able to keep up with the latest developments in American Health Care reform. I know the bill passed through congress the House of Representatives, which is the furthest that American health care reform has even gotten, but it still needs to go through the Senate.
But I also know that the Stupak amendment passed. It must be a great thing for us anti-choicers, because the folks at feministing.com are pissed (and using lots of colourful language). Ann writes:
I’m sure you’ve heard by now that, last night, the House passed a health-care reform bill. I got this lovely email from Barack Obama telling me what a victory this is.
[...]
I think I made pretty damn clear (as did Obama, in several speeches during the campaign) that reproductive health care is essential health care.So what the FUCK is this Stupak amendment doing attached to the health-reform bill? You know, that amendment that takes away women’s access to health care?
What?! Removing women’s access to health care?! That’s horrible! What kind of health care are women being denied?!
It reads:
The amendment will prohibit federal funds for abortion services in the public option. It also prohibits individuals who receive affordability credits from purchasing a plan that provides elective abortions. However, it allows individuals, both who receive affordability credits and who do not, to separately purchase with their own funds plans that cover elective abortions. It also clarifies that private plans may still offer elective abortions.
THIS IS FUCKED.
By health care she meant… abortion. Sounds healthy.
This has me so incredibly infuriated because it further segregates abortion as something different, off the menu of regular health care. It is a huge backward step in the battle to convey — not just politically, but to women in their everyday lives — that reproductive health care is normal and necessary, and must be there if (or, more accurately, when) you need it.
Abortion, different from regular health care? Yeah, that sounds like a terrible mistake, because other regular health care routinely involves the intentional killing of innocent human life. Oh, wait…
Sarcasm aside, this is the absolute centre of the cultural divide: is it health care to provide someone with death?
To use the euphemism of “reproductive health” to refer to abortion is profoundly deceptive. Not surprisingly, it’s controversial to refer to killing as healthy.
I think killing is a pretty lousy way of caring.
Now, I’ve read elsewhere (glancing at headlines and skimming posts, can’t remember where) that the U.S. Catholic Bishops welcome the Stupak amendment and are quite happy with it, but still may not be satisfied with the state of the bill in general (don’t quote me on that, check it out yourself if you want to be sure!). I mention them only because, unlike many pro-life Republicans, the Bishops tend to want universal health care while still being strongly opposed to taxpayer funding of abortions. If they’re not satisfied, it’s because of abortion.
I was going to end the post here. But in reviewing it, I noticed an astounding line I glazed over at first:
Reproductive health care is normal and necessary, and must be there if (or, more accurately, when) you need it.
Wow. Is Ann trying to say that unwanted pregnancies and abortion are inevitable for women? I’d love to hear that explained…
Driving in the womb
This video is awesome (via The Hermeneutic of Continuity):
Press Release: Lakehead University Student Union Votes to Ban Pro-Life Club
Press Release
November 3rd 2009
Lakehead University Student Union Votes to Ban Pro-Life Club
On October 29th the Lakehead University Student Union (LUSU) voted 7:6 in favour of banning the campus club, Lakehead University Life Support (LULS). This development occurred after the club had battled with LUSU for over two years and was finally granted club status in March.
Fair treatment of LULS was short lived however as their club status was called into question after a false complaint was made against the club after a clubs day display table event. LUSU never proved that this accusation was true nor did they even attempt to verify its veracity but it played a significant role during the discussion at the meeting.
LULS was denied club status with a motion brought forward by Josh Kolic, LUSU’s VP Finance. Kolic’s justification for taking away their status was that LULS is an “exclusive” club with “extremist views on abortion”.
Maggie Ten Hoeve, LULS President, explains, “We are disappointed yet again in our student union. It is understood that on a university campus ideologies and beliefs will be expressed that may be opposite to others. Instead our student union is anxious to shut down these discussions at the first mention of a false accusation without any investigation.”
The club will be appealing this decision.
Contact Information:
Maggie Ten Hoeve, President Lakehead University Life Support, 807-620-5926 / mjtenhoe@lakeheadu.ca
Emil Booyink, Lakehead University Life Support Executive, 807-251-5710 / ebooyink@lakeheadu.ca
Take Two: Reproductive “Choice” Campaign Video
The Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform posted a video on YouTube a couple months back about their Reproductive “Choice” Campaign. We tried to blog about it, but YouTube had taken the video down by the time our post went live.
The CCBR has it up on Vimeo now.
Stephanie Gray is pretty awesome.
Abortion Debate at the University of Victoria
Hey, not all Canadian universities are terrified of free speech on abortion!
The pro-life club at the University of Victoria hosted the debate between Stephanie Gray of the Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform and Dr. Eike-Henner Kluge, philosophy professor and bioethicist. LifeSiteNews.com has a good overview.
(Why does the pro-choice side always seem to need a bioethicist to apply abstract philosophical arguments about personhood?)
The debate is online in 10 parts.
Planned Parenthood Director Quits After Seeing Abortion Ultrasound
Charges Dropped Against Calgary Pro-Life Students
Well, this is a huge positive end to the University of Calgary trespassing story. From NCLN:
November 3rd, 2009: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CROWN STAYS CHARGES AGAINST CALGARY PRO-LIFE STUDENTS
CALGARY The trespassing charges laid against six members of Campus Pro-Life at the University of Calgary have been stayed by the Crown Prosecutor, effectively meaning that the charges have ended.
The group’s display held on the University of Calgary campus every semester since 2006, termed the Genocide Awareness Project, precipitated the charges. The display compares abortion to past historical atrocities, such as the Rwandan genocide and the Holocaust in Nazi Germany.
Club President Leah Hallman stated, “We are relieved by this decision on the part of the Crown Prosecutor; Campus Pro-Life has consistently maintained that all of our actions were in full compliance under the law.”
The charges were initially delivered to the homes of several students by members of the Calgary Police Service in February of 2009. On March 16th, all charged members pleaded not guilty. At the time, Hallman argued “We have asked the university several times which of its by-laws, policies, regulations or other authority it relies on for censoring our viewpoint, and have received no answer to date.”
The staying of the charges takes place nearly one year after the November 2008 display on campus that was the catalyst for the charges being laid.
“Campus Pro-Life will continue being a voice for the voiceless,” states Club Treasurer Alanna Campbell, “we hope to continue our activities on campus and raise awareness among the next generation of community leaders.”
For further information, contact Club President Leah Hallman at (403) 808-3412, Treasurer Alanna Campbell at (403) 690-5217, or lawyer John Carpay of the Canadian Constitution Foundation at (403) 619-8014.
According to LifeSiteNews.com, “stayed” just means “effectively dropped” — but not actually dropped yet
Authors
Blaise Alleyne
Clarissa Luluquisin
All posts by Blaise Alleyne are licensed freely under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike Canada 2.5 licence.
