Dozens of medical students at the University of Michigan They staged a strike this weekend in the middle of the White Coat party, shortly after the main speaker, a well-known anti-abortion doctor, started her talk.
Videos from the annual ceremony at the Michigan Foundation’s Hill Auditorium filmed Dr. Kristin Collier, the university’s self-proclaimed assistant professor of medicine and anti-abortion physician, beginning her speech on the podium, as rows of students in white coats. Other guests began to leave the building.
The medical school students had earlier asked the college’s dean, Dr. Marshall Runge, to remove Dr. Collier, who is also the university’s program director for health, spirituality and religion, from the annual gala. They referred to his comments as “contrary to the principles of reproductive justice“.
“While we support freedom of expression and religious rights, an anti-choice speaker as a representative of the University of Michigan undermines the university’s position on miscarriage It supports a non-exhaustive theological platform for restricting access to abortion, an essential part of health care.”
“We are asking UM to stand in solidarity with us and to choose a speaker whose values align with institutional policies, students, and the medical community as a whole.”
The letter also included anonymous quotes from students who joined the protest, many of whom stated that Dr Collier’s election had led them to “serious doubt whether the school would continue to advocate for reproductive rights.”
“I’m really scared that I chose to attend school in a situation where I could lose my right to a safe abortion, and UMMS’s decision to have Dr. Collier as the keynote speaker makes this even more scary.” Quotes in Petition letter.
Another student wrote, “I attend UMMS in large part because of its progressive approach to healthcare and education, and choosing to have Dr. Collier as a keynote speaker makes me question my decision.”
The request, however, failed. Dr. Rong wrote a letter in response to the “positive and negative comments” he received after Collier’s appointment as keynote speaker, stating that academic freedom outweighed any concerns students had about one’s own ideas.
“The White Coat Party is not a forum for discussing controversial issues, and Dr. Collier never planned to take up a divisive topic as part of her remarks,” said Dr. Rong. “Our values speak of respecting the critical importance of diversity of personal thoughts and ideas, which is fundamental to academic freedom and excellence. We will not dismiss the speaker because they have personal ideas that are different from others,” he concluded, before adding that a forum on “The Importance of Diversity of Thought” is being planned at the Medical School, which will be presented soon. Learn more details.
Shortly after the white coat ceremony ended and the protesting students walked out of the building, Dr. Collier appears to have addressed the controversy surrounding the opening ceremony speech in an unquoted tweet posted on Sunday, writing:[estoy] Really grateful for the support, emails, letters, prayers and messages I have received from all over the world about the event happening today. I feel very supported by that. And to my team that has supported me daily through this: I love you.”
As she spoke, which was preceded by 168 medical students receiving their white coats and reciting the White Overcoat vow, Dr. Collier seemed to hint again at the controversy before her speech. However, she never directly addressed the request to be removed from the list.
“I want to acknowledge the deep wounds our community has suffered in recent weeks,” Collier said. Started His speech, which did not address the issue of abortion. “We have a lot of work to do to bring about recovery, and I hope today, this time, we can focus on what is most important: working together to support newly admitted students and their families with the goal of welcoming them into one of the most important callings out there on this earth.”
In Michigan, patients seeking an abortion must receive state-directed counseling, which includes information designed to discourage a person from continuing with the procedure. They then have to wait 24 hours before they can have an abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
Although abortion is legal in Michigan, since the abolition of ru vs. valley Last month, abortion advocates worried that the procedure could become a felony due to a 1931 law banning nearly all cases in which the procedure is performed.
In April, Planned Parenthood Michigan and Dr. Sarah Wallet filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the 1931 law from going into effect in the state. In May, the Michigan Claims Court issued a preliminary injunction in the lawsuit.
Until a decision is made on this, the 1931 Act cannot enter into force, according to Michigan Radio. However, Right to Life Michigan, the Michigan Catholic Conference and two attorneys general have asked the Court of Appeals to overturn this injunction, effectively blocking the lawsuit.
