Article update: Within just a week of receiving the demand letter, Winthrop University corrected course and confirmed the recognition of Winthrop Students for Life as a new student organization. Furthermore, the University redirected the authority for making new student organizations determinations away from the Council of Student Leaders (CSL) and put this important responsibility in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs with oversight responsibility from the President of Winthrop. We are pleased that the Winthrop administration was quick to correct its errors and protect the freedom of speech and freedom of expression of students on campus! This only happened because of Riley’s courage and unwillingness to back down, and SFLA’s great team to support.

I’ve heard many stories about universities denying pro-life or conservative groups, but I never thought I’d be one of those tales. But here I am, fighting for my pro-life and free speech rights on my college campus.   

I attend Winthrop University, a public university in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and immediately knew I wanted to advocate for the preborn during my academic education. I gathered all the resources necessary to start my Students for Life of America (SFLA) group: a faculty advisor, enough interested students, and everything else Winthrop required. I was nervous but confident in my presentation when I first attended my charter hearing with the Council of Student Leaders.  

After I finished my SFLA group presentation, the Council of Student Leaders immediately bombarded me with questions, asking if this was a religious organization, whether I would be inclusive on campus, how I am different from Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a conservative organization helping me get chartered, and wanting me to specifically identify who my faculty advisor was even though it wasn’t required. I was also asked whether everything would be fact-checked. Of course, I said yes, but that didn’t seem to matter, since they still seemed convinced that I would be giving false information.   

After questioning, they sent me out of the room for the council to decide, resulting in a seemingly heated exchange between council members. After waiting for what felt like an eternity, which was 20-30 minutes, the vice president told me that my SFLA group had been tabled, meaning there was no “yes” or “no,” but I would need to come back again and explain more later, though they were unable to give me a straight answer as to why. The dean of students came out to talk with me as well, suggesting the possibility of working with TPUSA to be on campus to show other students that it is safe for my group to be on campus.   

Four days after the meeting, I finally received an email about how to explain my group better. They gave two reasons. The first was that my mission statement was not the same as the one on the SFLA website, which is questionable because that night, I didn’t see them look at the website while I was there. Plus, this student group is distinct from the national organization; while both are aimed at education on abortion and protecting life, they do have the exact same mission. The second is that some of the council members believed that I would be giving medical advice instead of women going to medical professionals.  

I immediately revised my presentation to fit their standards and show that their assumptions were wrong. About two weeks later, I had my second opportunity to prove them wrong and fight for my group. I debunked everything they wanted me to, to the point where there were no questions after my presentation by the council (compared to the first hearing, where there were 20 minutes of questions). I waited five minutes for the council to make a decision. The council vice president and the dean of students approached me, announcing the council had entirely denied the group.   

Their “reasoning” was laughable. When I asked why I was denied, the dean said, “Well, they’re all human, and there might be too many emotions with this topic.”   

Enough emotions to override the First Amendment? I don’t think so. Emotions shouldn’t supersede my rights.  

I immediately contacted SFLA, and the staff and legal counsel supported me. They listened to my entire story, reviewed my evidence, and acknowledged my rights as an American citizen at a public university. We have now sent a demand letter to the school, telling them the laws they have broken and asking that they grant my group the same free speech rights as other campus groups.   

I thank Mary-Logan Miske and Olivia Torralba, who are with Students for Life America, for their fantastic help and quick action.   

This shows that no matter what, we need to stand up for the preborn and educate others now more than ever.   

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