Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Free speech row breaks out at Aberdeen University over abortion posters

University of Aberdeen students Randi Morse, Carloto Demony and Jasmin Moussapacha are upset at pro-abortion posters in The Universities' Catholic Chaplaincy window at Old Aberdeen, High Street.
Picture of (L-R) Jasmin Moussapacha, Carloto Demony, Randi Morse.
Picture by KENNY ELRICK
University of Aberdeen students Randi Morse, Carloto Demony and Jasmin Moussapacha are upset at pro-abortion posters in The Universities' Catholic Chaplaincy window at Old Aberdeen, High Street. Picture of (L-R) Jasmin Moussapacha, Carloto Demony, Randi Morse. Picture by KENNY ELRICK

A row over free speech has broken out at a north-east university, following a display of posters advertising an anti-abortion protest.

The 40 days of Life event, featuring people holding signs and prayer vigils, has been taking place daily outside the city’s maternity hospital since March 1 and aims to cover the whole of Lent until April 13.

But some student groups at Aberdeen University have expressed outrage at the Catholic chaplaincy on the campus displaying posters for the meeting and have signed a mass letter calling for their removal.

The building is owned by the Catholic Church, who insist that abortion is morally wrong.

The letter, signed by nearly 250 people and groups at the time of writing including the Aberdeen Feminist Society, states: “While we understand the church’s stance on reproductive issues, we feel that it is deeply inappropriate to display posters encouraging people to take action outside maternity clinics.

“Our campus is a place for discussion, but displaying material that appears to condemn those who have had abortions is actively harmful.”

However, the church insisted that “freedom of speech should be at the heart of academic life”.

Randi Morse, a sex and gender student, 29, said: “Abortion is not an easy choice to make and if a woman has decided to make that choice, it is harmful to make her feel stigmatised for it.”

Jenny Killin, the student association’s welfare officer, added: “Freedom of speech should never be used as an accuse to attack individuals who are exercising bodily autonomy or accessing healthcare. ”

But a spokesman for the Bishop of Aberdeen responded: “Freedom of speech and expression should be at the heart of academic life.

“The decision by the Catholic chaplaincy to display a poster advertising a peaceful pro-life vigil cannot in any way be deemed harmful or distressing.

“The 40 Days for Life Vigils are peaceful, yet poignant reminders of the tragic reality of abortion. Almost half a million unborn lives have been lost in Scotland since the 1967 Abortion Act was passed and it continues to carve a deep scar on our society.”

Liberal Democrat councillor, Jennifer Stewart, added: “People have strong views on protecting life – if the poster is not offensive, then I don’t see why they shouldn’t display it.”

A University of Aberdeen spokeswoman said: “This building forms part of the Catholic Diocese and as such, is not a University-owned or managed facility, so it falls outwith our control.

“Any posters displayed on University property will be dealt with appropriately.”