Laurier LifeLink is a ‘pro-life’ group that is currently funded by the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union. LifeLink hosts demonstrations on Laurier’s Waterloo campus that have included visual pro-life/anti-choice messaging and harassment of students. By doing so, this group has knowingly created conditions that endanger the emotional and mental safety of students affected by anti-choice rhetoric. These demonstrations create an environment where women and people with uteruses are made to feel unsafe and individuals who have had abortions are exposed to harm.

This petition is a response to LifeLink’s recent demonstration and a call for greater accountability from the WLU Students’ Union.

We ask that the Students’ Union:

1. Adopt a motion that instates a public pro-choice stance on issues of reproductive justice within the Students’ Union policy.
2. Suspend the funding that Laurier LifeLink receives through the Students’ Union Clubs & Associations.
3. Prohibit anti-choice events approved by the Students’ Union from taking place in public locations on campus, giving people the choice to engage in these discussions.
4. Implement a strike policy within the Students’ Union Clubs & Associations policies that will ensure accountability after instances of harm.

In signing this petition, I call upon the Students’ Union to accept these demands in order to address the harm that LifeLink causes and foster a culture that upholds reproductive rights.

 

If you would like to read a more background information for why these demands are necessary, it is provided here: http://tinyurl.com/detailed-arguements

If you would like to provide a statement of how the display impacted you personally, to have brought to the WLUSU, feel free to submit one here: http://tinyurl.com/antichoice-impact

We encourage you to connect with the following resources, if engaging in this discussion has been harmful to you:  

Diversity Equity Office (WLU)

https://students.wlu.ca/student-life/diversity and-equity/index.html

Waterloo Campus, Macdonald House Residence, Room 117

519-884-0710 x4710

diversity@wlu.ca

Sexual Violence Response Coordinator, Sarah Scanlon

https://students.wlu.ca/wellness-and recreation/gendered-violence- prevention-and-

support/receive-support.html

Waterloo Campus, Macdonald House Residence, Room 117

519-884-1970 x4847

sscanlon@wlu.ca

Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region

www.sascwr.org

For on or off campus support, email: intake@sascwr.org

201-151 Frederick St., Kitchener, ON N2H 2M2

Office: 519-571-0121

24 hour crisis & support line: 519.741.8633

Wellness Centre

students.wlu.ca/wellness

519-884-0710 x2338

wellness@wlu.ca