Canadian universities have seen an individual's right to express controversial or even non-controversial opinions tested over the past several years. In the wake of protests at their university, Concordia administration limited students' ability to hold forums discussing conflicts in the Middle East. A number of other universities have seen limits placed on what sort of activities can occur in common spaces, particularly limiting so-called "political" events.

We are proud that Carleton has resisted this sort of intrusion into freedom of expression, presumably because it recognized that the greatest test of an academic environment lies in the ability to recognize and foster debate and diversity in opinion. It is unfortunate that CUSA's motion disregards this legacy of free thought and free expression.

Abortion is a perennial moral and ethical question, but it is not the one at hand in this motion. Council is forced to decide whether it should actively work to preclude certain kinds of speech on campus. It must decide whether it is acceptable to choose the kinds of positions student groups can hold. We feel that this is a dangerous path for CUSA and Carleton to follow. A university campus should be a place where all students can engage in debate and discussion regarding any legitimate political issue.

But what if some are offended by ideas presented by others? To them, we say engage.  If an idea is truly bad, then it will be challenged, and reason will win the day. If there is intractable conflict between two ideological positions, then as a free and democratic society, we should embrace that argument and ensure that all sides can best represent themselves.

The anti-choice movement to criminalize abortion is -whether you agree with it or not- a legitimate political opinion that should be allowed to be expressed. We firmly believe that you should never run away when someone says or does something that challenges your belief system. In the end, mandating their silence does just that.

The outcome of this motion will reflect what kind of university CUSA Council wants Carleton to be. We feel that it is Carleton's place to embrace and encourage diversity of not only faith and culture, but of thought and argument too.