Student body in New Zealand university votes to disaffiliate pro-life group

A student body at the Auckland University in New Zealand has voted in favor of a motion to disaffiliate a pro-life club from the student union.

According to Auckland City Harbour News, around 2,700 students participated in the online referendum, with about 1,600 students voting in favor of a motion to disaffiliate the Pro Life Club from the Auckland University Student's Association (AUSA).

ProLife Aukland co-president Jelena Middleton said that she was "dismayed" by the vote, adding that the club has always been peaceful, and their goal has been to help women and children.

"[Abortion] is not a positive thing, it just seems to be an accepted stance here," Middleton said. "We don't think that it is in the mother's best interest, and obviously not in the child's. We believe that we need to always keep in mind both the mother and the child, not just one or the other," she added.

The referendum also reportedly asked whether clubs with a "similar ideology" should be barred from becoming an affiliate of the student union in the future.

Middleton contended that the disaffiliation was "unjust and legally dubious." "What makes this even more frightening is that it is happening at one of this country's largest universities - which should be a place where diversity of thought is not only tolerated, but also actively fostered and protected," she added.

Auckland Students for Choice spokeswoman Justine Rose called the ProLife Club an "embarrassment" to the student union and contended that the referendum spoke to the wider issue of women's right to choose.

The referendum was reportedly the first successful attempt to disaffiliate the ProLife Club, which had faced the ban several times since its inception in 2010.

The results of the vote are automatically binding, but the decision will not be finalized until AUSA had sought legal advice regarding concerns raised by members over specifics.

If the motion passes, the ProLife Club will still be allowed to distribute information on campus, set up a club stall during orientation week, and receive funding. However, the group has raised concerns that it would struggle to receive funding and would be restricted in its activities and advertising on campus, Middleton said.

Middleton noted that the disaffiliation from AUSA would entail that the club would now have to pay more for rooms and resources controlled by the student union, compared to the time when they were an affiliated club.