A group of students has been barred from forming a pro-life club by the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) Board of Directors.
The RSU unanimously voted to stop the formation of the group Students for Life on Feb. 23. The rejection marks the last step in the appeal process that began in the fall.
According to a news release posted on the Students for Life website, the group was rejected on the basis that the RSU “opposes…groups, meetings, or events that promote misogynist views towards woman (sic) and ideologies that promote gender inequity, challenges women’s right (sic) to bodily autonomy, or justifies (sic) sexual assault.”
Carter Grant, a second year business major and the vice-president of Students for Life, says the group advocates human rights of all levels of life, from conception to natural death.
“One of the reasons why they rejected us was because our mandate contradicts their opinion on sexual reproductive rights…(and) others they haven’t made very clear,” said Grant. The lack of clarity has left Grant and his group frustrated.“We are disappointed because we feel like we’re not being treated equally compared to any other student group.”
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According to Grant, the group asked for the minutes and the exact reasons for their rejection, but so far they’ve been provided with very little information.
“If the student union is going to accuse students of serious things like misogyny, they should be prepared to explain the basis for that,” the group said in a news release.
The RSU did not immediately reply for comment.
More to come on this developing story.
Nitish Bissonauth graduated from the Ryerson School of Journalism in 2015. He was the newsroom manager, line-up editor and a reporter for The Ryersonian.
@NBissonauth