On Tuesday, The University of Idaho Faculty Senate discussed a memo they received prohibiting the promotion of abortion.
The email was sent from the Office of General Counsel for the University. It issues guidelines saying UI employees cannot promote abortion while acting as a university employee due to the trigger law passed in Idaho on Aug. 25.
The Faculty Senate discussed Friday’s email with Kent Nelson, a General Counsel lawyer.
Passion quickly boiled over the surface as many outraged faculty members expressed their rage.
“I’m just pissed off. I’m just appalled,” said Deborah Thorne, professor of Sociology.
Thorne was joined by many of her colleagues in disappointment. The faculty members expressed their fear about the level of caution they need to use in and out of their classrooms.
Questions arose during the time such as, “Can I wear a pro-choice t-shirt when I am walking down Main Street” and “Can I guide my students to resources about abortion if that is their paper topic?”
Nelson said the policy only applies to the employee when they are acting in the “course and scope of their employment.” Use of salary and other choices regarding abortion outside of employment are not restricted under the memo guidelines.
Nelson said this memo is cautious and conservative and will continue to be examined and changed as more questions become known.
“If laws were clear, I would be an accountant,” Nelson said.
He recognized that the email is too broad and confusing for a specific course of action, and that the General Counsel will work on more targeted wording.
Nelson also told the faculty members that the email was a reflection of Idaho’s abortion trigger law and not solely a university policy.
The Faculty Senate unified under one statement, “This is an assault on our academic freedom.”
Several faculty members asked how this is not a violation of the first amendment. Nelson emphasized restrictions about advocating for abortion only apply when a university employee is acting as a university employee.
As more facts and questions are brought to the General Counsel, further explanations and emails are expected.
Joanna Hayes can be contacted at [email protected].
elaine
Why is it acceptable for teachers and faculty, in the leading position that they hold, to advise or guide a student to options of murder, instead of the many other possibilities like adoption or just starting a family. Maybe the monetary incentive to keep a number of students locked in their programs is blinding you from the moral compass. Koodos to the teen who graduated high school even though she was pregnant, despite all the "Mainstream" advice going against her. She was bolder than any of you. Bringing a new life into the world doesn't happen because you planned on it, but only because God allowed it, and who are we to decide who and when new life is to be born. It's a gift and a blessing no matter the timing. All I see is faculty acting in their own self interest here. Happy monetizing! Be prepared to give account to the Lord for the little ones. Millstone anyone?
Jeanine Molloff - Independent Journalist
Why isn't anyone filing a court challenge on the grounds that the Idaho law violates the free speech guarantee of the 1st Amendment?
Uncle Sam
Maybe folks will finally wake up to the fact that the Republican party seeks to end American democracy and the rights granted by the Constitution. The laws being passed in the name of "pro-life" are just the beginning of an end to individual liberty. This is not about political differences, this is about the foundation of freedom. Will you continue to vote away your ability to make your own choices in life? Or will you continue to vote for the party that can only govern by limiting your voice and your choice.
Elaine
How much do you get paid to be a democrat operative? This is not a political issue anymore. ONLY propaganda to get us to cull ourselves.
Lynne Haagensen, Prof. Emerita
The memo is an assault not just on academic freedom but on Freedom of Speech, the First Amendment.