The definition of non-partisan is not biased toward any political group.
A club on Troy's campus claims to be non-partisan, and I don't want to name names to avoid pointing fingers. True to what the club claimed, the entire meeting stood as non-partisan until we neared the end of the meeting. The club members were discussing different topics that are gaining traction in the United States, and the recent New York abortion law (read more here) arose as a topic of interest.
The law states that a woman can have a late-term abortion if her health or life is threatened by the pregnancy. The president explained the law poorly, and the group of women cried out in protest to a law that they hadn't known existed until she told them. She further mentioned that she didn't agree and the woman should just have the baby. It wholly upset me because I was told in the beginning that the group was a non-partisan group, but the president proceeded to blur that line.
What if a woman there had to have an abortion? What if a woman present knew a woman who had to have an abortion? What if a woman there was debating an abortion right now?
It is rare that a woman wants a late-term abortion. A late-term abortion means the woman has likely learned the gender of the baby, likely chosen a name, likely has begun the process of decorating a nursery, and more. No woman thinks "Let me carry this baby for over 26 weeks and, then, abort it" because pregnancy isn't just a fun, easy thing for a woman to do. And so, I think the reaction of the group was inconsiderate.
It doesn't help that non-partisan should mean non-partisan. A woman attending the club should feel comfortable there, and not like she will be ridiculed for her own opinions. The way it was presented, I felt incapable of speaking my mind on the subject. Clearly, I am pro-choice; however, I did not feel nearly comfortable to say that. I don't think that's how I should feel at a non-partisan club meeting.
Discussing issues that are non-partisan is okay if the president can approach it an objective way. That wasn't the case here, as I have said. There are partisan clubs that exist and those clubs are where presidents can share their piece. Non-partisan groups delving into a partisan issue leaning towards an obvious side can cause issues with the members of the club and more. It's something that all clubs should be aware of, anyway.
