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Memorial University ~ MUN for LifeEmail: munforlife@mun.ca or Telephone 709-579-1500
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While MUN for Life has been active on campus for some time, it was
formally ratified as a student society by Memorial University's Student
Council on the 6th of October 1998. While the society remained active on
campus for the next couple of years, it unfortunately failed to renew
its society status some time after 2001.
Recognizing the urgent need on campus for a formal voice to support human life at all stages, Patrick Hanlon (a then third year student and a Right to Life board member), with the help of others, in February 2003 resurrected MUN for Life and brought it out of its short hiatus. After MUN for Life submitted its application for ratification to the MUN Students Union (MUNSU) it faced some red tape and opposition from certain MUNSU Councillors. Some of MUNSU’s members straight out did not want the pro-life movement to have representation on campus, while others wanted to make sure that an anti-life group could form on campus as well as a pro-life one. Thanks to the work of Derek Novak, MUN for Life’s Chair and a MUNSU Councillor, the hurdles were leaped and opposition’s concerns were put to rest. MUN for Life was re-ratified by the MUN Students Union (MUNSU) on March 12, 2003. At this time the group’s executive was Patrick Hanlon (President), Charlotte Sheppard (VP Internal), Ian Power (VP Finance), Crystal-Lynn Heath (VP Social), and Derek Nowak (Chair). Upon ratification MUN for Life started to make the pro-life message more visible to university students. On the night of April 6, 2003 MUN for Life put up posters on bulletin boards throughout the University. On the morning of April 7 the group learned that the anti-life forces were actively trying to hide the pro-life message and censure the group by ripping down the group’s posters. By the evening of April 7 about 75% of the group’s posters were destroyed and by April 8 only about 10% of the posters remained on the walls. This did not cause the group any hesitation in putting up more posters in the coming weeks and months. MUN for Life was able to make presentation to student groups on campus, provide pro-life resources to individuals, volunteer with the Right to Life and Elizabeth House, participate in the Good Friday Prayer Walk, the National March for Life in Ottawa (thanks to the assistance of the Right to Life), the Campaign Life Coalition Youth National Conference, the Provincial March for Life on Confederation Building. The group was successful in mobilizing students to write their Members of Parliament about embryonic stem cell research. MUN for Life was also able to appear in on and off campus media including NTV, CBC, VOCM, CHMR, and The Muse. As per MUNSU regulation’s, MUN for Life applied for ratification again in June 2003, but this time it faced a new MUNSU. With the changing of the guard at MUNSU Patrick Hanlon and Derek Nowak exchanged rolls. The new MUNSU was not friendly towards the pro-life message and attempted to silence the pro-life group. MUNSU labeled MUN for Life a sexist, or otherwise discriminatory, organization simply because it was pro-life and denied the group ratification because of this label. As well, MUNSU felt that it could not ratify MUN for Life because it thought that doing so this would mean that it would be saying that it was in agreement with the group’s principles. MUN for Life claimed that MUNSU was being hypocritical since it could not possibly agree with the principles of all of the groups it had ratified such as the Progressive Conservatives, Liberals, Pagans, Muslims, and various Christian groups. MUN for Life asked for the same treatment and resources that other groups, including a newly formed anti-life group, had been given. Despite the hard work done by the pro-life MUNSU Councillor, Patrick Hanlon, and the group’s executive, MUN for Life was denied ratification on two occasions in June 2003. MUN for Life is glad that it has been able to increase awareness of issues pertaining to the support and protection of human life from conception to natural death. MUN for Life is currently in the process of deciding what its next step would be and its course of action for the fall of 2003. MUN for Life can be contacted by e:mailing munforlife@mun.ca or by leaving a message at 579-1500. * SPECIAL NOTE: You may also collect Air Miles for MaterCare
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