Saying ‘Abortion is Murder’ is ‘hate speech,’ Abilene Christian says
The university agreed to let the students have a sign that said 'Abortion Kills An Innocent Human Life.'
The original sign read: 'Abortion is Murder. Disagree? Let’s talk.'
A sign that says “Abortion is Murder” constitutes prohibited “hate speech,” according to officials at Abilene Christian University (ACU) in Texas, who ordered a pro-life group to remove such a sign earlier this month.
The incident, which took place on Oct. 14, at the private school, involved the student organization ACU for Life. The group had set up a tabling event to distribute resources to other students and start conversations about the pro-life movement.
One of the group’s signs read: “Abortion is Murder. Disagree? Let’s talk.”
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The sign drew the attention of school officials, who ordered the students to remove it and threatened disciplinary action for noncompliance.
The website LifeNews published several videos documenting the students’ encounters with two officials, John Mark Moudy, the assistant director of student services, and Lyndi Felan, the dean for retention and student success. Both Moudy and Felan called the sign “hate speech.”
“You can’t have this,” Felan told ACU for Life president Madelyne Arrowood in one of the videos.
“How would you like us to rephrase it?,” Arrowood asked while refusing to remove the sign during the conversation.
“Anything that is just not hate speech,” Felan replied. “I’m not going to write it for you.”
Multiple students at the tabling event asked for a definition of “hate speech,” without receiving an answer. Instead, the officials indicated the students would be punished.
“You can get up or you can change the sign,” Felan told the students. “Either way, it’s going to be a conduct issue.”
Eventually, Felan agreed to let the students have a sign that read, “Abortion Kills An Innocent Human Life.”
Publicly available ACU policies contain few mentions of “hate speech” and no official definitions. The university’s Code of Conduct categorizes “hate speech” as a serious violation that creates a “hostile environment,” but provides no examples of what it means. In the same section, the code defines “harassment” and “sexual harassment,” but not “hate speech.”
Students who violate the policy could suffer fines, loss of scholarships, suspension, or expulsion.
The university’s Table Reservations page for students says activities are “subject to staff approval,” without further elaboration.
As a result of the incident, Ryan Richardson, the vice president of student life, informed students in an email that tabling is not meant to foster conversations on controversial issues.
“It is not appropriate for tabling to be used in ways, through signage or personal engagement, that invite confrontation or public debate,” Richardson wrote in the email, LifeNews reported.
In response to the university’s efforts, students have formed a group called “ACU For Free Speech and started a petition for the school to change its free speech policies. The petition has 789 signatures as of publication.
Pro-life students often face harassment on college campuses as a result of discussing their beliefs publicly, including the destruction of their materials and profanity.
After publication, a university spokesperson confirmed to Campus Reform that an interaction occurred between a student life representative and students at the tabling event. The spokesperson said there would be no disciplinary action taken.
”On Oct. 14, ACU for Life – a student organization that had reserved a table in the area immediately adjacent to the dining hall – was asked by a Student Life representative to modify the wording of a sign on their display,” the statement to Campus Reform reads. “After ACU staff engaged with the students and provided direction, the students were allowed to continue using the space in the campus center. The university has been supportive of the ACU for Life organization and has provided tremendous encouragement for their work.
”During the interaction, the Student Life staff member unfortunately used the phrase ‘hate speech’ in a broader conversation to describe the sign. The employee has since apologized for the choice of words and acknowledged that the sign is not an example of hate speech. To be clear, the university does not believe the sign represented hate speech.”
