I read with interest the article about the anti-abortion flag display that was set up at UFV on March 21.

The flags represented the approximately 100,000 abortions happening every year in Canada – not a small number, and something we all contribute to with our tax dollars, so why the reluctance to talk about it?

What most surprised me was the focus on free speech, and the related pro-censorship attitude of representatives from the UFV Feminist Initiative. How could a publicly funded medical service possibly fall under something questionable to talk about, especially at a university which encourages debate and the open exchange of ideas?

I cannot think of any other common medical procedure that would be considered inappropriate for discussion on a university campus, or anywhere else for that matter. There are heated debates in some forums about, for example, the value or vaccinations for children, yet no one fights to silence those debates or threatens action based on stigma or discrimination. We have major community and national events organized around our hearts, breasts and colons, among other things. Surely our uteruses are not so different?

I am happy to see the UFV administration promoting intellectual liberty as well as UFV Life Link standing up so openly for the human rights of children in the womb.

Anna Nienhuis