Did I over-react? Anti-abortion leafletters

[FuzzyHeaded]

I was wondering if I could get a bit of perspective on this from the folks on this board.

I am a PG student at a university which recently held student elections for various roles - president of the students' union, etc. There were a lot of people standing around the town near university buildings campaigning for positions, handing out leaflets etc. So a lot of people entered "take the leaflet and smile" sort of mode (or hurrying past and not making eye contact!)

I was walking past the students' union and there were a couple of leafletters, who I assumed were involved in the elections, so I took the leaflet they offered, but I handed it back as soon as I saw that it was an anti-abortion leaflet - "to some of us, ten weeks is a lifetime", with a soft-focus image of a probably 20-week foetus. These students were not wearing any badges or clothing or holding any posters that would identify to passers-by what they were campaigning for. A quick google afterwards showed that they were members of a specific campaigning group and had previously campaigned with posters and badges etc. I felt they were deliberately going "undercover" during a time when the university was swarming with leafletters to get people to take their leaflets. I stood and watched them for a little while and watched several people look really quite distressed when they realised what the leaflet was about.

I logged a complaint (by email) with one of the people in the students' union and was told that whilst they kept an eye out for the rest of campaigning week, the union is committed to freedom of speech and opinion. Of course that's fair enough, but was I over-reacting to be concerned about the way that 'freedom of speech' was being practised in that instance? I also feel that there's a gray area with campaigning on issues that people could have very real personal experience of - making it much more important that the style of campaigning used gives people who might be upset by it the chance to cross the road and move on.

Any thoughts? Was I complaining about nothing?

No Still, never. Not in any of the many many places I've lived in the UK or abroad.

Odd that.

puffins and your point being what?

No specific point. You asked if I had ever been handed a leaflet from a variety of sources, and I answered your question.

Your question seemed to suggest that I was a bit odd for not having been handed this type of leaflet, so I enlarged my answer by stating that, despite having lived in all sorts of places, in the UK and abroad, I hadn't been handed such.

Apologies if your original question wasn't meant to make me look like I was lying, but that's very much how it came across.

puffins really? Never been handed some end of the world is nigh/ Jesus is your saviour/boycott this/boycott that/weird church you've never heard of pamphlet?

Does look a touch like you thought I was being less than truthful, doesn't it really?

As indeed did your initial question and follow up question to me. Both slanted to suggest I was making it up.

Genuine enquiry from someone who hasn't experienced something is now suggesting you're making it up?

Riiiiight. Not much point engaging with you if you're just going to read things into things that simply aren't there, is there? Thought you were supposed to be a lawyer?

jessica I've seen some of those leaflets from years ago on marches. I know that a majority of animal rights groups are now moving away from the 'icky pictures' leaflets, because they acknowledge that they don't help, and in fact turn people off. No one wants to see pictures of chopped up animals.... The organisations I'm involved with tend now to go from the 'look at the adorable puppy, how could anyone want to hurt it, nawwwwwwwwww' end of things. In fact, it would seem that the only group that still goes for pictures of graphic ick are anti-abortion ones and some of the more out there animal rights ones, I'll grant you

You would think that uni students would be more of the handing out animal rights leaflets type than being anti-choice, obviously things have changed since I was last there.... I'll have to go and shake stuff up then when I go back

I think they are entitled to their opinion even if it goes against the majority these days. It's not that long ago since abortion was mostly not really acceptable to many.

Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion, the OP was concerned about the manner in which that opinion was being expressed.

It's also not that long ago that most people thought it was okay to be homophobic and racist. Thank heavens we've moved on a bit since "the good old days".

Jessica

Thanks heavens, indeed!

Genuine enquiry from someone who hasn't experienced something is now suggesting you're making it up?

I was surprised at the alacrity you chose to follow up and follow up again what was a peripheral comment compared to the rest of the thread or anything else I had said. Almost as if you wanted to discredit what I had posted.

It's not that long ago since abortion was mostly not really acceptable to many.

I think that's because abortion is much safer and can be done earlier these days. I don't think it should be lumped with old fashioned ideas like racism, homophobia.

I don't think you over reacted at all, OP. Of course freedom of speech is important, but campaigners need to make it clear what they are campaigning about. There are certain issues I don't want to be faced with while out shopping. [wuss emoticon]

Peace and love...

When I was a student (not all that long ago honest... less than a decade ago) I did some 'holiday' work helping with a freshers fair at a university local to my parents. One of the student groups was handing out free rulers... which showed the length of a foetus at various gestations with writing suggesting that you rethink "murdering your unborn child" etc. I did complain and afaik they weren't invited to have a stall at the next freshers fair.

Still... if you can't accept that I was being genuine in my question, that's your problem. There was no intent to make you look like anything. Try not assuming that others are working to your agenda maybe?