By L.A. William
Christian Action League
July 14, 2022
Students for Life at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill is taking student government leaders to task over their decision to deny funding for any organization that advocates for laws limiting abortion.
According to Students for Life, not only did the UNC Student Government Executive Branch issue an order effectively prohibiting contracts or expenditures involving pro-life organizations or businesses, but the group is also sponsoring a “Redirect the Rage” rally on July 24 to protest the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“These radical, one-sided actions of the UNC Student Government fail to recognize the diversity of thought at UNC-Chapel Hill and alienate a significant portion of the student body and faculty members,” Students for Life representatives wrote in a letter about the issue.
“Through its Executive Order, the UNC Student Government Executive Branch excludes the continuous support available to pregnant and parenting people by pro-life businesses and organizations, including Students for Life. This policy, which limits the Executive Branch to sourcing services and resources from only pro-abortion entities, makes Carolina a less accessible and less inclusive place for parenting students and faculty members and actively limits the opportunities and resources available to struggling families.”
Members of Students for Life challenged Student Body President Taliajah Vann to follow through on her campaign promise to create “carefully crafted policy aims that are designed to help every member of the student body,” by rescinding the executive order and renouncing UNC Student Government’s sponsorship of the rally.
“Students for Life at UNC-Chapel Hill values everyone’s freedom of speech and assembly and respects the organization of the ‘Redirect the Rage’ rally. However, we urge the UNC Student Government not to sponsor such a divisive event since it does not represent the diverse beliefs of the student body and faculty members,” the group wrote. “Rather than sponsor one-sided rallies, the UNC Student Government should provide safe spaces for conversation and discussions across the entire political spectrum, while delegating the protesting and rallying to individuals and the appropriate Student Organizations.”
The Rev. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League, commended Students for Life for pushing back against the efforts of the Student Government Executive Branch to marginalize the pro-life group.
“Sadly, some of our university campuses are saturated with this kind of thinking — that religious or pro-life organizations have no rights and that they can just be pushed aside, defunded or ‘canceled,’ at whim,” Creech said. “Oddly, it’s the folks who preach the loudest about inclusiveness who seem to come up with these policies that allow for zero diversity of thought or opinion.”
Pro-abortion students at UNC have been known to use violence against those who don’t agree with them. A member of the anti-abortion group Created Equal was attacked by a 19-year-old student on the Chapel Hill campus in April 2019. Days later, another student was charged with larceny after stealing a sign used by the group.
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s well-founded decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, universities across the country have issued statements on the issue, with the majority bewailing the ruling. In fact, a Campus Reform analysis of 40 college statements found that 62 percent of them publicly supported Roe v. Wade, and only six universities issued pro-life statements.
While UNC did not issue a university-wide statement, Mimi Chapman, chair of the UNC-Chapel Hill faculty, issued a personal opinion, as did Barbara K. Rimer, dean of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Ariana Vigil, chair of Women’s & Gender Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill signed onto a statement compiled by a consortium of Women’s Studies departments from several North Carolina colleges. All were in support of Roe v. Wade.
Universities that issued statements reaffirming their commitment to the sanctity of life were Liberty University, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Catholic University of America (CUA), Notre Dame University, and Marquette University.
“Being pro-life means much more than opposing abortion,” the CUA statement read. “The pro-life movement is about building a civilization of love, through a commitment to life at all stages.”
