Coming Soon: “It’s A Girl!” Screening
Friday, March 7, 2013 | 7pm | University of Manitoba @ Hanley Hall, St. Paul’s College
*Free Admission*
Watch the exclusive trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISme5-9orR0
In India, China and many other parts of the world today, girls are killed, aborted and abandoned simply because they are girls. The United Nations estimates as many as 200 million girls are missing in the world today because of this so-called “gendercide”.
Girls who survive infancy are often subject to neglect, and many grow up to face extreme violence and even death at the hands of their own husbands or other family members.
The war against girls is rooted in centuries-old traditions and sustained by deeply ingrained cultural dynamics which, in combination with government policies, accelerate the elimination of girls.
Shot on location in India and China, It’s A Girl reveals this issue. It asks why this is happening, and why so little is being done to save girls and women.
This documentary film tells the stories of abandoned and trafficked girls, of women who suffer extreme dowry-related violence, of brave mothers fighting to save their daughters’ lives, and of other mothers who would kill for a son. Global experts and grassroots activists put the stories in context and advocate different paths towards change, while collectively lamenting the lack of any truly effective action against this injustice.
http://www.itsagirlmovie.com/
http://defendgirls.ca/
Facebook: facebook.com/defendgirls
Twitter: @defendgirls
Tomorrow!: Abortion, A Medical Procedure
The University of Manitoba, Students for a Culture of Life, will be hosting yet another lecture series.
This lecture series will be answering and exploring the following question…
What is abortion – simply a medical procedure that ends a pregnancy? While technically this is true, describing abortion in such a way does absolutely nothing to portray the violent way preborn children are murdered daily. Come out and have your eyes opened to some unpleasant but important truths.
Our guest speaker will be Dr. Larry Rados who is an emergency physician working in Winnipeg at misericordia urgent care. He is also a lecturer in the department of family medicine at the university of Manitoba. Over the past several years, Dr. Rados has had the opportunity to give presentations on various pro-life topics throughout the province. He has served as the Vice President for Manitoba physicians for life. In 2007 he was presented with the Joe Borowski award by the Winnipeg League For Life for his efforts in promoting a culture of life. Dr. Rados lives in Winnipeg with his wife, Jacquie and their four children.
This talk will be held at the University of Manitoba in the University Centre, Room 217 (GSA lounge) on Thursday, Dec. 5th, 2013.
Tree of Life Donation Drive – Kick off Nov 22
The University of Manitoba, Students for a Culture of Life will be hosting a Donation Drive to support women who are in Crisis Pregnancies.
-THE KICK OFF-
The kick off for the donation drive will be on
Friday, November 22 from 12:00pm-1:00pm
This event will consist of live music, a short talk, and encouragment to donate money/items.
Featuring music by AML
All proceeds go to support women in crisis pregnancies
-DONATION DRIVE-
The Tree of Life Donation Drive runs until December 20, 2013 to which all proceeds will be made to support local pregnant women in form of kitchenware, household items, personal items and infant necessities.
Suggested items:
*Diapers for 3-5 months
*”Good Start” baby formula
*warm clothes for babies.
* Dishes
* Glasses
* Cutlery
* Bakeware
* Cooking utensils
* Coffee maker
* Toaster
* Pots and pans
* Diapers and baby wipes
* Baby clothes
* Bibs, receiving blankets, quilts
* Personal items for moms such as body lotion, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, makeup, body wash, soap
* Casual maternity clothes
* nursing bras
* nursing pads
* maxi pads
* Baby slings
* Strollers, Cribs (purchased after 1989)
* Household items such as utensils, glassware, cookware, baking supplies, casserole dishes etc.
* Laundry baskets, wastepaper baskets
* hangers
* blank calendars for current or next year
* clock radios
* fans, heaters
DONATION DROP-OFF PLACES:
1. Christ the King Chapel in St. Paul’s College, UofM Fort Garry Campus, between 9am-4pm, Monday to Friday
2. Hull’s Family Bookstore located at 372 Graham Ave. @ Carlton Street
3. Stephanchew Church Goods located at 337 William Ave.
If these options are also not possible for you, please contact us at uofmscl@gmail.com to make other arrangements.
Cheques and monetary donations may be left at the UMSU office as well, to be placed in our mailbox, no. 52. They can also be mailed to us using the address:
University of Manitoba Students for a Culture of Life
Mailbox no. 52
101 University Centre
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2
Please help us support those who have chosen life! We greatly thank them for making a beautiful decision. Viva la vida!
A Response to the Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) by Kateri Muys of the Nursing Student’s Association
The following commentary was given after our GAP display at the Student Council Meeting
UMSU address and commentary on the motion to ban the student group “University of Manitoba Students for a Culture of Life (or UMSCL)”
Kateri Muys, Senior Stick
Nursing Students’ Association
Faculty of Nursing, University of Manitoba
I wanted to make some sort of commentary due to the discussion of this display on campus. After speaking with various students, faculty and administration in the Faculty of Nursing, friends in other programs and teachers and administration from other faculties at the University of Manitoba, I wanted to present a few points on the topic of banning the student pro-life group on campus.
First, as a collective amount of people, the pro-life movement has something called the march for life annually in every major city across North America. This past year saw just over 600,000 people advocating the prolife cause in Washington DC, 20,000 people advocating this pro-life cause in Ottawa, and here in Winnipeg just under 1000 people. In Brandon, Manitoba, there are pro-life slogans and images on benches around the city. In Winnipeg there are organizations that are planning on purchasing space on transit buses similar to the atheist/agnostic slogans featured on buses which I am sure many of us here have heard of. In Atlanta, Georgia, there are billboards depicting an African American baby with a tear rolling down their cheek and the caption “Black Genocide” and then for more information a link which leads to the statistics regarding ethnic groups and minorities and their rates of abortion.
This is a controversial topic but luckily the motion tonight is not one of conflicting ideologies.
It is a motion regarding the banning of the only voice at the University of Manitoba of a pro-life group and those that identify as pro-life; which, as I have outlined already, there are a lot of people who identify as pro-life, who are active in the movement and even this particular group on campus has the support of external pro-life groups including legal support and financial donations.
Again, this campus boasts three religious colleges on campus and more than likely there are pro-choice and pro-life people in all of our programs. I want to think of tolerance and dialogue as I am sure there are pro-life students in my program as well.
Tolerance vs. Banning?
From a tolerance perspective, I have to wonder if banning this student group would even serve a purpose. The students involved and the supporters of this pro-life group will continue to meet, gather, and I already know of rooms and speakers that would continue to be provided to them even without student status. If there is an agenda that thinks banning this student group will end their activity, I am curious to know what exactly would change as this group already has multiple supports and likely would carry on doing the exact same things they are doing. This suggests banning might be ineffective and that dialoguing between umsu and this student group might be a better route.
Information
As mentioned by an administrative member in the Faculty of Nursing on this topic of banning the pro-life group, this faculty member noted that in nursing we try to make moments like these teachable moments and work towards how we can ease conflict in the future through dialogue. As nurses, we take an involved view in this topic as we are part of the medical team and often a first resource to women who are considering abortion and their choices. I went to see the display after hearing about it and was impressed to see the pro-life and pro-choice views both being presented. This suggests if there was a person questioning their beliefs or considering having an abortion, they could make an informed decision due to both groups being present. It seems the venue for those seeking to ban this student group might be better off to form a pro-choice group on campus or through ventures in other student groups rather than banning which may be ineffective and the pro-choice view could be presented alongside these projects.
Freedom of speech
From the literature and imagery provided and any penalizing due to their choice of literature or images as any university or regulatory body, you either have free speech or you don’t. If you regulate free speech, it ceases to be free speech; instead, you have a speech code and tyranny of the majority regulating what is and isn’t acceptable speech. In Winnipeg the pro-life cause is a minority – 200 miles south in recent Gallup polling it is the majority which makes what is and isn’t acceptable every more of a gray area.
According (as of June 2013), Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act – Hate speech (or in our case images included) is no longer part of the Canadian Human Rights Act. This was done in order to protect civil liberties and free speech and to prevent such incidences of tyranny of the majority over what may not be popular free speech. All things considered, if banning this student group would be unjust and unfounded according to the Canadian Human Rights Act, I fail to see how banning this student group can be founded here at University of Manitoba by any regulatory body. Thus it seems, banning a student group is an unjust motion denying students group status and those students on campus the same rights granted to other student groups.
THIS FRIDAY AND NEXT WEEK: October Baby and “The Case for Personhood”
The University of Manitoba Students for a Culture of Life will be hosting a movie night on October 18th and what better movie for October than October Baby?October Baby is a 2011 American dramatic film directed by Andrew and Jon Erwin and starring Rachel Hendrix in her film debut. It is the story of a young woman named Hannah, who learns that she was almost aborted as a baby in the womb. She then embarks upon a road trip to understand the circumstances of her birth.
The movie will start at 7:00pm on Friday, October 18th and be held at the University of Manitoba in the Student Group Resource Centre (Room 180) of the Helen Glass building.
There is no cost for this event, it’s free so bring your friends!
If you’d like to watch the trailer, click here > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7oTLVevO5g
_____________________________________________________________
What makes a human being a person? Is there a difference between the two? Should there be? Do we have rights because we’re human or because we’re persons? Why does the definition of a person change so often and is it important? Join us as we use philosophy and history to grapple with these crucial questions.
Join us on Thursday, October 24th at 7:30pm in the GSA lounge (Room 217) of the University Centre to have these questions answered!
Our speaker for this event will be Fr. Denys A. Scully.
Father Denys was born and raised in British Columbia. After high school he went to college and thereafter worked at various jobs, eventually entering a 25 year policing career. His first 8 years in policing were with the RCMP, being posted to the provinces of Quebec and Saskatchewan before eventually returning to BC. In BC he left the RCMP to join the Abbotsford (municipal) Police Department, with which he was employed for 17 years. During this career Father Denys was assigned numerous investigative and enforcement roles. His Federal policing included enforcement of immigration, passport and drug statutes and Executive and Diplomatic Protection Services. His Provincial and Municipal policing included assignments in the Patrol, Community Policing, Records, Court Liaison and Traffic Sections as well as various time-durated task forces.
News Release: MOTION TO BAN UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA PRO-LIFE CLUB DEFEATED BUT CONCERNS REGARDING FUTURE CENSORSHIP REMAIN
News Release
MOTION TO BAN UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA PRO-LIFE CLUB DEFEATED BUT CONCERNS REGARDING FUTURE CENSORSHIP REMAIN
WINNIPEG, MB (October 9 2013) – On the evening of October 7th, the University of Manitoba Students for a Culture of Life (UMSCL) were glad to witness the defeat of a motion calling for the revocation of their club status. However, they are continuing to express concern about two other motions passed by the University of Manitoba Student Union (UMSU).
“We were encouraged to hear members of the council defend free speech on campus and see the motion to revoke our student group status defeated soundly,” states Cara Ginter, vice-president of UMSCL. “Unfortunately, two other motions were passed that could be used to censor our student group and others in the future.”
The first motion was put forward by two students as a response to a pro-life display hosted by the club September 23-25. This display, called the Genocide Awareness Project (GAP), uses large posters with pictures of aborted fetuses and victims of historical genocides to argue that abortion is a human rights violation. Council members, including Nursing, Law, and Education representatives, spoke against the motion and it was ultimately defeated.
Two other motions were also presented by the council’s Student Group Promotions and Affairs Committee (SGPAC), which express concern over the content of the display and resolving that (1) the council meet with the university administration “to push for a reconsideration of the review and approval process for public displays” and (2) that the policies governing the penalization of clubs and revocation of club status be reviewed and clarified.
“We applaud the student union’s defeat of the first motion and hope they will use that good sense moving forward,” states Anastasia Pearse, Western Campus Coordinator for National Campus Life Network (NCLN), an organization that supports pro-life students in Canada. “UMSU is certainly within its rights to review its own policies and even discuss the display approval process with the administration – as long as they don’t attempt to hinder the club’s right to exist and exercise its freedom of expression on campus.”
“The display was a great opportunity to dialogue with students about the issue of abortion,” says Ginter. “We’re looking forward to continuing this conversation over the course of the year, educating our peers about this important human rights issue.”
-30-
For more information please contact:
Cara Ginter, vice-president, University of Manitoba Students for a Culture of Life: caraginter@hotmail.com
Anastasia Pearse, Western Campus Coordinator for National Campus Life Network: westerncanada@ncln.ca
John Carpay, JCCF President and lawyer acting for the students: 403-619-8014,jcarpay@jccf.ca.
http://www.ncln.ca/blog/motiontobanuniversityofmanitobaclubdefeated/
—
More articles concerning UMSCL and GAP:
Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform
Should your campus club do the Genocide Awareness Project this year?
What a Dialogue on Abortion Actually Sounds Like
Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms
JCCF challenges University of Manitoba Student Union on campus free speech
LifeSiteNews
U. of Manitoba pro-life club survives club status vote, fears future censorship
Winnipeg Free Press
Anger over anti-abortion pics
Display sparks debate with staff and students at U of M
CTV
Students protest group’s display comparing abortion to genocide
The Manitoban
Pro-life on U of M campus
Abortion debate front and centre at the U of M
The Charlatan
Pro-life display compares abortion to Holocaust, Rwandan genocide
Monday-Friday: Parking Info
So I’ve made a minor mistake when I said that Q lot was available to park during the day. It’s only for students during business hours, so the best places are:
– the “Toonie Lot” ($2.50 for two hours, $5 for the whole day) and
– the parkade beside Helen Glass (Between 6am-6pm: $1.75 for each half-hour for that one hour, $2 for each additional hour or portion thereof; DAILY MAXIMUM: $10).
Please click on link below to go to the interactive map (move cursor over a parking area for more information).
http://umanitoba.ca/campus/parking/media/Parking_Map_Web.pdf
In summary:
* For Monday-Wednesday for GAP and Friday for the Intensive Training (aka parking during the day):
– best to park in the Toonie Lot or Parkade
* For Thursday’s presentation (aka the evening, after 4:30pm)
– you can park practically anywhere for free, except for in Chancellor’s Circle, which costs $4 after 4:30pm
Today: Genocide Awareness Project Training
For those who are looking for directions to the venue, please refer to the maps below:
The Helen Glass Building is no. 283 on the above map. You may park in Lot P, however please do not park against the Education Building (you will be ticketed).
Room 176 is in the basement of Helen Glass, and the room is called the UMSU Council Chambers. You will recognize it as being the room with a pretty floor mosaic in front of the door, and it will have a circular table arrangement inside.
And here is an updated schedule of the next several days:
SUNDAY SEPT
22nd 2:00pm-5:30pm
Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) Training
Room 176 Helen Glass Building, University of ManitobaMONDAY SEPT 23rd – WEDNESDAY SEPT 25th
7:30am-5:30pm
Genocide Awareness Project
Curry Place, University of ManitobaTHURSDAY SEPT 26th
7:00pm
Abortion: Human Right or Human Rights Violation?
E3-270 (Engineering Building), University of ManitobaFRIDAY SEPT 27th
9:30am-4:30pm
Pro-Life Crash Course
217 University Centre, University of Manitoba
We will be providing maps for the venues for all days; just stay tuned to the website! If you have any questions, feel free to send us an e-mail at uofmscl@gmail.com
1st Lecture Series Presentation: The Science of When Life Begins
The University of Manitoba, Students for a Culture of Life, will be hosting their first Lecture Series of the 2013 Fall Semester.
This presentation will be answering questions such as, Can we know with certainty when life begins or is it all just speculation? What do reputable biologists, embryologists and abortionists say? If you’ve ever been even just a little curious, or you want to know how to defend the pro-life position better, come out for this informative presentation.
Our speaker for this presentation is Dr. Mark Torchia.
Mark Torchia, MSc, PhD is the Director of University Teaching Services at the University of Manitoba as well as being an Associate Professor of Surgery in the Faculty
of Medicine. Dr. Torchia has been an active participant in health profession education for over 30 years. Most recently he directed the pre-clerkship undergraduate medical education program. His research interests include image-guided laser treatment of brain tumours, the ethical considerations of the use of animals in teaching in science, and the definition and development of expertise in learners and teachers. Dr. Torchia is a
co-author of two medical textbooks: Before We Were Born and The Developing Human.
-When and where-
This presentation will be held on September 19th, 2013, at the University of Manitoba in the Engineering building (E2) in room 160 at 7:30pm-8:45pm.
If you have any further questions regarding this presentation, please email us at uofmscl@gmail.com
We hope to see you there!
Coming Soon: Genocide Awareness Project
This coming September, the University of Manitoba Students for a Culture of Life will be hosting a Genocide Awareness Project (GAP). Along with this project, we will be hosting a desert reception, debate and pro-life apologetics training.
-When and Where-
September 21, 7:00pm at 1315 Gateway Rd (North Kildonan Mennonite Brethren Church) – Desert Reception: How to Build a Culture of Life. (Tickets: $10 advance. Email uofmscl@gmail.com)
Speaker: Stephanie Gray – Stephanie is a seasoned and international presenter who began speaking in 1999 at the age of 18 and who co-founded her national organization at the age of 20. She has given pro-life presentations across North America as well as in the United Kingdom, Latvia, and Costa Rica. She has spoken at many post-secondary institutions such as the University of Toronto, York University, University of Calgary, Johns Hopkins University, George Washington University, and the University of Sussex in England.
September 22, 2:00-5:00pm at the University of Manitoba in Helen Glass, room 176 – GAP Apologetics Training
Speaker: Stephanie Gray
September 23-25: Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) – held at the University of Manitoba
September 26, 7:00pm at the University of Manitoba – Debate
Speaker: Stephanie Gray
**Please note that this event may change, depending on whether or not we are successful in finding an opponant for Ms. Gray.
For more information, to buy tickets to the desert reception or to sign up to volunteer for GAP, please email uofmscl@gmail.com
University of Manitoba Students for a Culture of Life 