Yet another case of campus discrimination

So while Duke Students for Life is not welcome at the Women’s Center at Duke because it has a specific agenda, not only does the Women’s Center advise the Students for Choice student group, but they invite and host pro-choice speakers like Jessica Valenti who has worked for Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice of America. According to Liccardo, the Women’s Center has never hosted a pro-life speaker for the three years he has been working there.

It is inappropriate for a University funded center to have an unwritten pro-choice philosophy on abortion and turn away groups who think differently. Their mission statement clearly states they “ascribe to a broadly defined, fluctuating and inclusive feminist ideology that welcomes discordant viewpoints from varied experiences.” This is ironic because their own view of feminism and women’s issues is narrow and discriminatory.

We applaud the Duke’s Women’s Center for the role it plays in increasing awareness about gender violence on Duke’s campus. But we find this incident deplorable and believe that the center is falsely advertised. Unless the Women‘s Center changes their discriminatory agenda and truly becomes a welcoming place for all women with differing viewpoints to have equal access to their space, the center’s operations should be looked into by university administration.

This is the kind of discrimination that is occurring at Duke. Imagine what could be occurring at other college campuses across the United States.

UPDATE, MARCH 30, 2010: The Women’s Center admitted that mistakes were made, apologized, and are taking steps to ensure this never happens again. This is a victory for free speech and expression at Duke University. I will continue to support the pro-life movement, and I am glad Duke has remained a place where different perspectives and point of views are respected, accepted and offered the same opportunities.

Michelle Barreto is a sophomore undergraduate at Duke University majoring in Political Science and receiving a Certificate in Policy Journalism and Media Studies. She is the president of Duke Students for Life.