Fanshawe caught off guard with pro-life group back on campus

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: MELISSA NOVACASKA
David Pollock (left), Chennelle Atkinson (middle) and Nick Koehler (right) made posters of their own that went against the views of the London Against Abortion members who showed up on campus again.

Fanshawe students and staff were faced with another round of pro-life representatives on Oct. 27, this time without the college’s consent.

Three members from the London Against Abortion group were set up in F-hallway with pamphlets in hand and large posters that claimed to demonstrate the realities of what an abortion looks like.

Elaine Gamble, Fanshawe’s senior manager of Corporate Communications said she was only made aware of the group’s presence through a phone call from one of her colleagues.

Gamble said security was then contacted, who went on to speak with the pro-life group.

“Unlike last time, they had promised to give advance notice, but we didn’t have any notice today, so it did come as a bit of a surprise,” Gamble said.

Gamble said the college will be reaching out to the group to deal with this issue.

“We’ll be talking to them and we will probably review our practices here as well just to make sure that their presence here is not disruptive to our students.”

With students coming to talk to the group, Gamble said their visit appeared to be peaceful.

The focus of today’s group visit was simply for educational purposes, according to Maria McCann, a member of the London Against Abortion group.

Maria McCannMaria McCann, was one of three London Against Abortion members on campus trying to get her point of view on abortion, across to students. CREDIT: MELISSA NOVACASKA

“Abortion, an act that dismembers, decapitates and disembowels a human being is here, and we want to show people the reality of what’s happening to 300 pre-born children every day in our country,” McCann said.

According to McCann, the school is public property, the group does not necessarily have to communicate with college officials and security when they are coming on campus, though they have in the past.

“We just show up when we’re able to show up,” McCann said.

The last time the group, along with the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (CCBR) were on campus, was on Oct. 6, and the large poster images they displayed were a main cause of concern for by passers.

This time some of the same images were brought to campus.

According to McCann, the images show the reality of what happens to “pre-born children” when an abortion takes place.

“Nobody likes looking at these pictures, [but] the reason we’re sharing them is because this is what happens and we want people to see that abortion is a human rights violation,” McCann said.

After seeing social media posts about the group’s visit on campus and then seeing it for themselves, two Fanshawe students and one Fanshawe alumnus decided to counteract the pro-life group with posters of their own.

The posters read “Pro-Choice. The Right to Choose.”

“I heard the hateful rhetoric she was spewing and I knew how uncomfortable it would make somebody feel who has maybe previously had an abortion and I decided it was time to do something about it,” said Dylan Pollock, a Fanshawe general arts graduate. “If they have a right to protest, so do we.

Pollock said his group’s posters were made to also try and hide some of the imagery that the pro-life group brought to campus.

“It’s a place of learning, not a place to distribute your rhetoric,” Pollock said.

Nick Koehler, another student counter acting the pro-life group, said each time he has seen the group on campus, he noticed students pass by with disgruntled looks on their faces and just want them out of the school.

“[Students] want our learning environment back to what it was and not having to walk by this stuff on a day to day trek to school. It’s not fair,” Koehler said.

According to Koehler, he understands the group is trying to express their views, but doesn’t think this is the right time or place to do it, and suggested maybe being outside the school or in an enclosed classroom.

“People are trying to focus on studying for exams and tests and going to their class. Although [the images show] the reality [of an abortion], people don’t want to have to see that on their way to class,” Koehler said.

With some students encouraging this counteractive group, Koehler said they aren’t hard core protestors, but rather wanted to do something that expressed a different point of view compared to the pro-life group.

Chenelle Atkinson, a third member of the counteractive group, said an abortion is a sensitive issue for some people and having someone who might not have experienced one themselves trying to tell others how to do it or not, is not the way to go.

“Pro-choice, it’s a choice and that’s that. It’s not for someone to tell you if that choice is right or wrong.”