The latest club to be affiliated to VUWSA, LifeChoice Victoria, had an energetic start on Thursday when they were joined by feminist activists at an anti-abortion presentation they hosted.
Speaker Brendan Malone flew from Christchurch to offer a pro-life perspective on ethical debates about abortion.
When asked about why he believes human life begins from conception, Malone argued that we cannot simply rely on biological evidence because the “essence” of human existence must be differentiated from that
of animals.
“Chickens don’t have human rights. It’s okay to have KFC as long as it’s Kentucky Fried Chicken, not Kentucky Fried Children,” he explained.
His presentation drew expressions of concern from the audience when he suggested survivors of rape can use pregnancy and childbirth as a “soothing healing process” rather than have abortions.
Malone, who works at the John Paul II Centre for Life in Christchurch, said it was one piece of advice his organisation may give to women considering abortion.
“However we would prefer that that sort of advice is given to them by the women who have had those experiences,” he told Salient.
LifeChoice’s President, Joshua Vergunst said one of the group’s aims would be to offer information about alternatives to abortion to women on campus in the form of pamphlets from organisations like Malone’s.
Vergunst also hoped to host more public events like Thursday’s, but did not plan to campaign for law change.
“University is a place for debate and we want to start discussions,” he said.
As the group is now affiliated to VUWSA they will be eligible for funding from the students’ association for their activities.
Both were pleased with how the evening went.
“Obviously it’s an emotional issue with different points of view, but things remained civil,” Malone said.