A pro-life group has been banned from a freshers’ fair at Dundee University.
According to the Dundee Courier, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) will not be allowed to host a stall at Saturday’s freshers event.
The paper reports that SPUC has run a stall at the fair since 2004 but did not take part last year due to a lack of space. The Dundee University Student Association (DUSA) then voted to ban the group from all future fairs.
According to LifeNews, DUSA’s objection is due to the nature of SPUC’s “extreme campaigning” and that they would be happily host a students’ society with pro-life views.
Douglas Schreiber, vice-president of DUSA, told the Dundee Courier: “We have students on campus who have had abortions in the past and there was clearly some distress felt by a number of the students that attended the fair surrounding this issue.
“The students largely do not want anything to do with a group that promotes the removal of rights over bodily autonomy for over half the student population that attend this university.”
Rachel Kidd of SPUC Scotland said DUSA had failed to “back up claims of SPUC’s extreme behaviour”.
“DUSA has quoted several sections of its Constitution against SPUC, but none of those sections contains anything opposed by SPUC. Also, DUSA has been asked to back up with evidence its claim of extreme behaviour by SPUC at Freshers’ Fairs, but has failed to provide any evidence,” she said.
“DUSA makes a great deal of noise about being fair and unprejudiced towards groups with differing views. SPUC’s effectiveness in communicating the pro-life message on campus seems to have provoked DUSA to treat SPUC in an unfair and biased way.”
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.