The founder of the University of Aberdeen, Bishop William Elphinstone, once expressed his ambition for the university to be “open to all and dedicated to the pursuit of truth in the service of others.” Indeed, throughout most of the half-millennium since its founding, the University of Aberdeen has a solid history of adherence to that purpose.
Unfortunately, there are some who think we shouldn’t exist as a society. We spent more than a year seeking affiliation to the students’ association even though official policy forbade any pro-life societies. Even after successfully fighting to change that unlawful policy, we still encounter students and staff who’d rather not have a discussion about issues in life ethics on campus. Here are a few reasons why continued fidelity to our founding ethos encourages tolerance of our viewpoint and philosophy.
- Firstly, banning our society because of our refusal to espouse a pro-abortion position was the antithesis of being “open to all.” Even the university refused to step in to ensure AUSA’s compliance with the law. Thankfully, after a legal challenge based on the Equality Act 2010, AUSA relented and granted us affiliation in May 2019. Being “open to all” means being open to ideas you disagree with or had not previously considered — even though our position is not held by the majority, it is still a legitimate and legal stance.
- Secondly, truth is immortal; it cannot be no-platformed or banned. If a university is truly “dedicated to the pursuit of truth”, then it must welcome sincere debate and conversation around the most controversial issues of the day. Topics in life ethics are freely and civilly debated outside the walls of the university, so why should they be off limits on campus?
- Finally, the measure of our “service to others” is impoverished if it does not include a moral imperative to be a voice for the voiceless and defend the defenceless. Abortion is one of the most contemptible mechanisms of violence in human history; it harms babies, women, men, and families of all colours, creeds, and cultures. Its wake of destruction is incalculable.
We invite you to join our efforts to bring the pro-life message to this campus, namely, that all humans are intrinsically valuable and should live free from threats of unjust harm, all the way from conception until natural death. Our goal is simple — we want to speak the truth about the value of human life (and the harm caused to it by various acts) in a civil and peaceful manner. We want to engage with our fellow students in open dialogue, and we want to be a place of refuge for all pro-lifers on campus.
