UPDATE: CUSA’s student issues committee met on July 12 and recommended council not adopt the motion to establish CUSA as a pro-choice organization and instead postpone it indefinitely. The committee instead recommended a motion to establish CUSA as a “pro-reproductive rights and justice” organization. The alternative motion will be debated and voted on at the next council meeting on July 25.
Carleton University’s Students’ Association (CUSA) council debated a motion to establish themselves as a pro-choice organization in a meeting on June 27. After some debate, council voted to postpone its decision until July.
The motion is a direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, said Gabe Paraskevopulos, CUSA’s vice-president (finance). In the meeting agenda, the motion notes it would “affirm [CUSA’s] belief in human reproductive rights and access to abortion.”
Under the proposed motion, CUSA would have to avoid cooperation with service providers and organizations that “actively embrace and/or endorse anti-abortion ideologies.”
“In the past, CUSA has taken a hard stance. We had a campus-wide referendum on the issue, and it was massively in favour of the pro-choice position,” Paraskevopulos said. CUSA revoked a Carleton anti-abortion group’s club status and funding in 2010.
It wasn’t until 2012 that CUSA adopted a more “neutral” official position on abortion, Paraskevopulos added. This allowed anti-abortion clubs to apply for CUSA certification and funding. CUSA did not confirm whether the organization has certified any anti-abortion groups on campus since then.
Not everyone was on board with the motion. Aminah Derman, the administrative coordinator for CUSA’s Womxn’s Center, described the motion as “alienating” pro-life students. However, the proposed motion does not deny students access to CUSA’s resources based on ideological beliefs.
Anshika Srivastava, vice-president (student life), agreed with Derman. She called on council to focus CUSA’s resources and time on educating people and advocating for bodily autonomy rather than assigning a formal label to the organization. She added CUSA’s decision to declare itself as pro-choice would be “too politicized.”
Mohamed Faris Riazudden, vice-president (student issues), also noted the abortion debate “isn’t so pressing” for Canadians, but insisted that if CUSA publicly supported abortion, it would deter many students away from their services.
Saad Khan, engineering and design councillor, disagreed and said abortion is not only health care, but a human right. “CUSA must stand with human rights.”
He also stressed that if the motion is delayed, there is a chance CUSA could provide additional funding to anti-abortion clubs. However, no anti-abortion clubs are currently listed under CUSA’s club directory.
Riazudden argued for the motion to be reviewed further by the student issues committee and to delay the final vote until the upcoming July council meeting.
The motion to delay the vote passed with 10 councillors in favour and two opposed. The student issues committee will meet on July 12 to review the motion.
In an email to the Charlatan, Paraskevopulos said he remains optimistic that “student[s’] will for a position to be taken will overcome any resistance.”
He also pointed out that the University of Ottawa’s Student Union recently took a firm stance and declared themselves a pro-choice organization in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
CUSA is scheduled to meet again on July 25. The meeting will be held in the Nicol Building and is open to all students.
An earlier version of this article said the student issues committee recommended council vote against the motion to establish CUSA as a pro-choice organization rather than not adopt it and postpone the matter indefinitely. The Charlatan regrets the error.
Featured image by Devon Tredinnick. With Files from Mark Ramzy.
