Disclaimer: Honi Soit does not support the inversion of the term “abolitionist”. These people are right-wing, pro-life extremists.
On Wednesday 2nd April, two men stood on campus with extremist anti-abortion signs, alongside aggressively pushing their anti-women narratives to students walking past.
Self-titled “abortion abolitionists” held signs reading “Abolish Abortion to the Glory of God,” “Abortion is Murder and you know it!” and “Whatever happened to Human Rights?” for over two hours within Campus bounds. The same abolitionists were on campus late last year, where police removed them.
At 12:45pm, NSW police asked the men about their aims. The men then testified to their lack of accountability, loudly claiming “They approached us!” after baiting students into talking with them.
Following a talk with the police, the men discarded their signs and returned to resume their argument. The men then moved off campus bounds to the edge of the City Rd footpath.
Honi understands that the so-called abolitionists did not seek permission to be on campus. One must wonder why USyd management and security did not apply the CAP in this instance, provoking more significant questions about the policy’s selective application by USyd management.
In response to a request for comment, a University Spokesperson provided the following statement:
“Yesterday our protective service team requested council and police assistance with a gathering on land owned by the City of Sydney that borders the University of Sydney, due to concerns about the potential impact of the group’s proximity to campus.
“Our Campus Access Policy specifies ‘Only staff and students are permitted to organise demonstrations on University lands’ and we would have employed it if the group had moved onto campus as we’ve done previously, as they were not members of our community and did not have approval to gather here.
“The safety and wellbeing of our community is our first priority, and we’re aware the content of the displayed materials may have been confronting or upsetting for some; support is available to anyone who may need it.”
Honi notes that at least one of the men was within campus bounds for a prolonged period before police interruption.
Honi witnessed Jack Stubley, a member of Students Against War (SAW), heckle the so-called abolitionists, shouting over their “science”: “You come on [campus], you talk about children’s rights, so why aren’t you out there trying to get single mothers payments [raised]? Why aren’t you trying to get Youth Allowance put up?” and “If you care about the children, why aren’t you out there campaigning for more adequate sex education for children?”
In response the man pulled out a plastic fetus, asking Stubley “Do you think this is a human life?” to which Stubley responded “No, it’s a bit of plastic, you dipshit.” Stubley concluded by calling the men “numbnuts”.
In Australia, the number of finalised adoptions have decreased by 98 per cent since the 1970s — from 9,798 to 201 in 2022. In 2023, it was found that 45,300 children were in out-of-home care, including legal care and conflict accommodation. 40,400 children were in in-home care, including foster care systems, relatives or kinship care, and other home-based care. The abolitionists were questioned on multiple occasions on why they are not campaigning for better funding and support for the adoption systems and social care. They did not have a reason as to why they chose abortion over social justice.
A claim told to Honi by the abolitionists was that “abortion rates have been increasing since 2018 at an outrageous rate”. After not being provided with a statistic or a source for these claims, Honi would like to provide some facts on this. Between 2013-22, abortions have, in fact, decreased in number and rate — the number of abortions decreased by 5 per cent, the rate of abortions decreased by 10 per cent, and ratio between abortions and live births increased by 1 per cent. It is of major concern that, not only are these claims harmful to the student community, but are also false.
Honi witnessed many students arguing with the two men, with heckles including “Get a job” and “Go man a soup kitchen, bro, you’re meant to be a Christian.”
Martha Barlow, SRC Women’s Officer, as well as Lilah Thurbon, SRC Environmental Officer, were among those arguing with the two men. Martha said to Honi:
“It’s disappointing to see the ‘Abortion Abolitionists’ back on campus, but with the current rise in Trumpian rhetoric and right-wing bigotry in the world, perhaps not surprising. It was heartening, at least, to see such a crowd amass to debate, call out and heckle them. When prodded on their beliefs, these people were quick to support abolishing no-fault divorce and openly tell us that women should just “close their legs”.
“They were then offended when we called them misogynists. They also do not believe in contraception or sex education or any measures that would actually make it easier to have children: a very clear indication that all they care about is controlling women’s bodies and criminalising vital healthcare. This kind of bigotry and violent rhetoric has absolutely no place on our campus, and we outright reject the right-wing Christian nationalism they were espousing. Safe, free and accessible abortion now!”
The arguments were extreme right-wing views, with a lack of factual backing, that go beyond average pro-life and anti-women narratives, claiming that there should be “criminalisation of no-fault divorce”. They also spouted racist and nationalist rhetoric, noting how “our children are more important than those in Palestine” and that if we care so much, we should “send our children [to Palestine]”.
Honi posted a poll on social media regarding how the abolitionist’s presence on campus affects the student body. We received responses in 24 hours from 583 students out of 1,784 viewers (approximately ⅓ of people who viewed the post). 16 per cent of participants stated that they feel ‘Uncomfortable’, 12 per cent said ‘Intimidated’, 13 per cent said ‘Angry’, and 69 per cent chose ‘All of the above’. This response is unsurprising to Honi. It is interesting that, with this level of disdain and discomfort from the student body, the University did not kick them off sooner.
Honi will continue to monitor the situation in the coming weeks.
If you or any of your loved ones have been affected by the issues mentioned in this article, please consider contacting the resources below:
NSW Sexual Violence Helpline – Provides 24/7 telephone and online crisis counselling for anyone in Australia who has experienced or is at risk of sexual assault, family or domestic violence and their non-offending supporters. The service also has a free telephone interpreting service available upon request.
Safer Communities Office – Specialist staff experienced in providing an immediate response to people that have experienced sexual misconduct, domestic/family violence, bullying/harassment and issues relating to modern slavery.
Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women’s Service – Provides legal advice and sort for a range of issues, including domestic, sexual, and family violence, to Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander women, children and youth.
1800RESPECT – A service available 24/7 with counsellors that supports everyone impacted by domestic, family and sexual violence.
Lifeline – 24/7 suicide prevention crisis support hotline for anyone experiencing a personal or mental health crisis.
