The University of Edinburgh and Stirling University have been shamed in a damning new report, launched today. The document, called Free2Speak, marked every Scottish university based on their policies towards pro-life students, societies, and outside speakers, as well as the lived experiences of students.
The report was Scotland’s first analysis of campus censorship and was researched and compiled in a joint initiative by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children and the Alliance of Pro-Life Students.
The marking system was based on the traditional university marking system which is applied to students.
And it reveals the many ways in which pro-life students have been silenced and discriminated against.
The University of Edinburgh and Stirling University secured fail marks on the basis that the students’ unions refused to affiliate pro-life societies.
The only university to receive a first-class mark was the University of St Andrew’s.
The report also details the struggles and discrimination many pro-life student groups have encountered in order to be recognised by their university and students’ union - including at the University of Glasgow and the University of Aberdeen, where students had to pursue legal action before being affiliated as a society.
In a joint letter to MSPs following publication of the report, SPUC and APS have called Scotland’s elected representatives to account and demanded action to stamp out censorship in the nation’s universities.
The letter states:
“It is vital the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament address the censorship epidemic our universities are facing.
“We would therefore call on the Scottish Parliament to investigate and report on censorship within Scottish universities.”
Madeline Page, CEO of the Alliance of Pro-Life Students said:
“This report evidences what we have known to be true for years – that pro-life students struggle to have their voices heard on university campuses. We work with students every day who have to fight their students’ unions to affiliate societies or challenge the censorship of their events and materials. If it were a different group of students being targeted in such a way, the public would be outraged about the vitriolic behaviour of their peers. Pro-life students and groups deserve to be treated like any other society on a university campus – free from undue burden and discrimination."
Michael J. Robinson, Director of Communications for SPUC, said:
“Universities should be bastions of free speech, where differing opinions are explored and challenged. To silence any student, particularly on the basis of a deeply held philosophical belief, is to act against the Equalities Act. Unfortunately, students who identify as pro-life are not being treated the same as many other student groups – and we are finally drawing attention to that fact. The universities must work harder and hold student unions to account for not protecting freedom of speech.”
Josep Marti Bouis is one of the students from Edinburgh University attempting to re-establish the pro-life society. He said of his experience:
“It is a real shame that the Edinburgh University Students’ Union, which claims to represent all students, has not let us affiliate with them. We represent a philosophical and scientific view, held by millions of people in the world, that tries to protect the weakest members of society: the unborn, the ill, and the elderly. It is very important that young people are exposed to a range of different views, and the shutting down of anyone who disagrees with the ‘established position’ does a disservice to the education of our students. We will continue to fight for the rights of the unborn, the real health of women, and the dignity of all human lives. Our job would be made easier if the students’ association respected the right to free speech of its members, but we will not let any inconvenience deter us from our conviction: that every life is important, from conception to natural death.”
To see the mark each university received and why, visit free2speak.uk