Blog by Maggie Sayers, President of Colorado State University Students for Life.
Wednesday morning, April 7th, I woke up the news that a resolution was being presented to Colorado State University’s student government threatening to ban the Alpha Center —our local pregnancy help organization — from advertising their free resources on campus. The legislation falsely accused the Alpha Center of “providing misleading information” and contributing to “students experiencing coercive trauma,” while failing to provide a single example of either. CSU Students for Life attended the ASCSU Senate hearing that evening to testify against the proposed resolution.
The resolution was promoted by the Brazen Project, a Colorado pro-abortion group who describes their mission as “working to create a CO where anyone who wants or needs an abortion can access one.” This radical group carries out a disinformation campaign, actively targeting pregnancy resource centers across Colorado and labeling them “anti-abortion counseling centers” and “fake women’s health centers.” The Brazen Project, an arm of New Era Colorado that works to take life-affirming options away from pregnant students in Colorado, spearheaded similar legislation at Metro State University, banning pregnancy help organizations from the campus. They plan on introducing the same legislation at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
Tell the Colorado State University Student Senate to uphold our First Amendment right and allow pregnancy centers to promote resources on campus HERE.
Legislative attacks by New Era Colorado are deeply harmful to the communities and patients who rely on the Alpha Center and other pregnancy help organizations across Colorado for free STD testing, pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and confidential counseling, among a multitude of other life-saving services. These resources are provided at no–cost to clients, in contrast to the Planned Parenthood across from campus which charges for STD testing and charges $120 for ultrasounds — costs which can render healthcare inaccessible to students facing financial insecurity. Resource centers like the Alpha Center serve all people equally and do not discriminate against anyone based on personal identity, religious affiliation, or background. Barring these centers from advertising or being promoted on campus is damaging, as students deserve access to the resources available to them so they can make informed decisions relating to their sexual and mental health.
The resolution proposed on Wednesday would infringe on the first amendment rights of pregnancy help organizations and CSU Students for Life’s ability to share life-affirming resources with our peers. To our knowledge, Colorado State University has not banned other groups or organizations from advertising their services on our campus. In fact, the Planned Parenthood abortion behemoth is a fixture at our University. As a public university, we call on Colorado State University administration to uphold for us the same equal rights and representation enjoyed by all other campus groups and organizations.
