Close Menu
Honi Soit
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Trending
    • A meditation on God and the impossible pursuit of answers
    • Week 11 Editorial
    • Losing My Religion: Elegies from an Atheist who desperately wants to believe in God
    • The Islamic Spirituality of Romanticising your Life
    • Loss, to which I return often.
    • My Name is Anonymous and I’m an Alcoholic
    • Modern Chaos
    • Time Machines: The Architecture on Campus
    • About
    • Print Edition
    • Student Journalism Conference 2025
    • Writing Comp
    • Advertise
    • Locations
    • Contact
    Facebook Instagram X (Twitter) TikTok
    Honi SoitHoni Soit
    Wednesday, May 14
    • News
    • Analysis
    • Culture
    • Opinion
    • University
    • Features
    • Perspective
    • Investigation
    • Reviews
    • Comedy
    • Student Journalism Conference 2025
    Honi Soit
    Home»News

    Wom*n’s Collective protest LifeChoice stall at OWeek

    Students chalked the pavement in front of the LifeChoice stall with messages that read “Abortion is good” and “Abortion should be free, safe, legal”.
    By Alison XiaoMarch 2, 2018 News 3 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Members of the University of Sydney Wom*n’s Collective launched an impromptu protest at the LifeChoice stall on Friday.

    Tensions escalated at OWeek after students chalked the pavement in front of the LifeChoice stall with messages that read “Abortion is good” and “Abortion should be free, safe, legal”.

    Led by Wom*n’s Collective Officer, Maddy Ward and Jessica Syed, pro-choice campaigners spoke into the megaphone, in a demonstration directly in front of the LifeChoice stall.

    “This club over here, allowed to be here by the University of Sydney Union, is pedalling anti-choice bullshit on this campus,” said a Wom*n’s Collective member.

    “They do not want women of this campus, or women of this state, or this country to have access to safe and legal abortions.”

    unnamed

    The controversial pro-life student society have been formally registered as a USU Club & Society since 2012, after being previously rejected by the Clubs & Societies Committee for failing to meet the criteria of “enrich[ing] the student experience at the university” under (3)(a)(i) of the C&S regulations.

    The constitution of LifeChoice says it seeks to “promote the dignity of human life from conception till natural death” and “foster discussion of abortion and euthanasia”. At this year’s OWeek, LifeChoice displayed pamphlets that read “What’s the most important human right?”

    Throughout the protest, students at the LifeChoice stall proceeded to wash the pavement with water, while members of the Wom*n’s Collective re-chalked.

    A pro-life and pro-choice campaigner engaged in a back-and-forth after a LifeChoice member’s water bucket was taken, rendering them unable to continue cleaning the chalk. “I’d just like my bucket back,” to which a protester replied “How do I know this is your bucket?”

    Today’s impromptu protest did not garner significant engagement, with an equal number of pro-life and pro-choice campaigners.

    At one stage in the afternoon, a student walked past the protest and yelled “shut up”, holding up his middle finger, to which the protester retorted: “Go ahead, flip me off. I don’t think you’re getting laid, it’s fine.”

    Over the three-day Orientation Week, the Wom*n’s Collective constructed an interactive cardboard photo-interaction in the shape of a heart, with the message “everyone deserves the right to choose”.

    Syed said at the impromptu demonstration: “We had a protest on Wednesday with regard to the Red Zone report outlining sexual assault. If these people really care about women’s rights where were they? Why didn’t they show up at the protest?”

    “If you think the only violence a woman can subject herself to is having an abortion, then you’re really out of touch.”

    It’s yet to be seen whether LifeChoice will have a continued campus presence throughout the year, given that much of their prior controversy has only stemmed from their activities at OWeek.

    lifechoice Oweek WoCo

    Keep Reading

    Where is the outrage?: National protest against gender-based violence

    HackWatch: Who Wants to be a Board Director?

    UniMelb Palestine solidarity encampment attempted relaunch met with repression

    Music festival strip searches class action begins

    ‘No confidence in the University’s handling of racism’: UniMelb inaugural annual report into racism released

    “Santos, no way! We will fight you all the way!” Activists and unionists rally against Santos’ Narrabri Gas Project

    Just In

    A meditation on God and the impossible pursuit of answers

    May 14, 2025

    Week 11 Editorial

    May 13, 2025

    Losing My Religion: Elegies from an Atheist who desperately wants to believe in God

    May 13, 2025

    The Islamic Spirituality of Romanticising your Life

    May 13, 2025
    Editor's Picks

    A meditation on God and the impossible pursuit of answers

    May 14, 2025

    We Will Be Remembered As More Than Administrative Errors

    May 7, 2025

    NSW universities in the red as plague of cuts hit students & staff

    April 30, 2025

    Your Compliance Will Not Save You

    April 16, 2025
    Facebook Instagram X (Twitter) TikTok

    From the mines

    • News
    • Analysis
    • Higher Education
    • Culture
    • Features
    • Investigation
    • Comedy
    • Editorials
    • Letters
    • Misc

     

    • Opinion
    • Perspective
    • Profiles
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Social
    • Sport
    • SRC Reports
    • Tech

    Admin

    • About
    • Editors
    • Send an Anonymous Tip
    • Write/Produce/Create For Us
    • Print Edition
    • Locations
    • Archive
    • Advertise in Honi Soit
    • Contact Us

    We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. The University of Sydney – where we write, publish and distribute Honi Soit – is on the sovereign land of these people. As students and journalists, we recognise our complicity in the ongoing colonisation of Indigenous land. In recognition of our privilege, we vow to not only include, but to prioritise and centre the experiences of Indigenous people, and to be reflective when we fail to be a counterpoint to the racism that plagues the mainstream media.

    © 2025 Honi Soit
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms
    • Accessibility

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.