…for being pro-life. But they offered the club a solution: they can get get reinstated if they become “pro-choice.” No. Really:
Carleton University’s official student association has banned the Ottawa institution’s anti-abortion club, offering it just one way to get back into good graces: support abortion rights. On Monday, the Carleton University Student Association (CUSA), decertified Carleton Lifeline for its anti-abortion views. It told the club that being against abortion violated CUSA’s anti-discrimination policy, but that it could get recertified in a day or two. “We invite you to amend your constitution to create one that respects our anti-discrimination policy as laid out above,†wrote Khaldoon Bushnaq, CUSA’s vice-president of internal affairs. “If you are able to resubmit a constitution that meets our criteria by Thursday, November 18th we will be able to certify your club for this semester.†Ruth Lobo, the president of Carleton Lifeline, said CUSA assumes all students are “pro-choice,†which is not necessarily the case. Its policy, she said, smacked of hypocrisy. “It’s very ironic that they have a discrimination policy that allows them to discriminate against pro-life groups,†she said. “CUSA claims to be representative of all students. As a pro-life student I am not represented by an organization I am forced to pay dues to in my tuition. Either they should create a policy in which students can opt out of fees or get rid of the discrimination policy,†Ms. Lobo said. “Pro-choice should also mean that a woman has the right to not have an abortion, so I think CUSA is being anti-choice by not allowing people to hear the other side.”
Ruth Lobo isn’t sure exactly why the club was banned, but she suspects it’s related to this incident last month:
