'Free abortion' supporting students protest Catholic bishop on campus
CUNY for Abortion Rights took to Instagram to arrange a protest of Bishop Robert Brennan's visit to say Mass on the campus of Queens College.
The student activist group previously defended a disgraced professor who attacked a pro-life student display and later threatened a reporter with a machete.
On the day in which most New Yorkers mourn the loss of those from the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001, a local pro-abortion student group used Sept. 11 to urge activists to fight religious liberty at an upcoming event on campus.
CUNY for Abortion Rights protested the Catholic celebration of the Mass on Sept. 18 led by Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan at Queens College because of his pro-life stance.
“Bishop Brennon [sic] serves on the Pro-Life Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: an organization that distributes FALSE CLAIMS about abortion that have been debunked by organizations like The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and Physicians for Reproductive Health,” the group posted on Sept. 11 to Instagram.
“We believe that everyone deserves access to safe, quality, and free abortion on the timeline that they choose using their preferred provider,” it continues.
To combat the event, CUNY for Abortion Rights called on other students to “voice your support for abortion rights” by meeting at the Queens College student union the same day as the Mass.
The group’s post also links to a Planned Parenthood web page with tips for protest signs, including to avoid writing “women” or “girls” and instead use “pregnant person” rather than “mother.” The abortion provider also instructs protesters to make references to Handmaid’s Tale, a novel and Netflix series that depicts a dystopian society where women are oppressed and forced into childbearing.
The Queens College Office of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management told Campus Reform that, “Open and respectful discourse on topics of importance to all members of our exceptionally diverse college community is encouraged as a matter of free speech.”
The office also noted that the school “recognizes and respects the right of the bishop and his staff to visit and perform services at the invitation of the Newman Center as well as the right of those who disagree with their views to peacefully protest.”
[RELATED: Johns Hopkins prof says abortion is attempt to ‘control pregnant people’s bodies’]
CUNY for Abortion Rights’ Instagram page features extensive support for far-left political causes.
In May, the group defended Shellyne Rodriguez, formerly a professor at Hunter College who approached and cursed at a Students For Life of America stand on campus. CUNY for Abortion Rights encouraged people to stand with the professor against “right-wing anti-abortion backlash,” while also noting that, “Students For Life and other far-right groups are not welcome on our campuses.”
Rodriguez would be fired days later after she wielded a machete at a New York Post journalist who came to her door.
In April, CUNY for Abortion Rights also protested Nancy Pelosi speaking on campus, labeling the former Democrat Speaker of the House a “Zionist” and “Imperialist.”
Campus Reform contacted CUNY for Abortion Rights and the Diocese of Brooklyn for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.
