University of Michigan white coat ceremony left in chaos after controversial speaker Dr Kristin Collier sparks walkout
A CONTROVERSIAL speaker at the University of Michigan sparked a walkout from both students and parents on Sunday.
Footage from the white coat ceremony held in the Hill Auditorium shows as dozens of future doctors file out the hall.
Their actions had been in response to a talk from Dr Kristin Collier, who has expressed pro-life opinions.
A clip of the walkout shared to Twitter has been viewed more than eight million times.
Dr Collier is an assistant professor of medicine at the uni and a director of the UM Medical School Program on Health Spirituality & Religion.
She tweeted in May: “Holding on to a view of feminism where one fights for the rights of all women and girls, especially those who are most vulnerable. I can’t not lament the violence directed at my prenatal sisters in the act of abortion, done in the name of autonomy.”
A petition signed by more than 340 students had called for her removal from the event.
The petition read: “While we support the rights of freedom of speech and religion, an anti-choice speaker as a representative of the University of Michigan undermines the University’s position on abortion and supports the non-universal, theology-rooted platform to restrict abortion access, an essential part of medical care.
“We demand that [the university] stands in solidarity with us and selects a speaker whose values align with institutional policies, students, and the broader medical community.
“This speaker should inspire the next generation of healthcare providers to be courageous advocates for patient autonomy and our communities.”
The university refused to back down and Dr Collier spoke on Sunday.
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They told The Michigan Daily the would “not revoke an invitation to a speaker based on their personal beliefs.”
Michigan Medicine spokeswoman Mary Masson added: “However, the White Coat Ceremony will not be used as a forum to air personal political or religious beliefs; it will focus on welcoming students into the profession of medicine.”
Dr Collier is not thought to have mentioned abortion in her speech.
A White Coat Ceremony marks medical students entry into the field.
LANDMARK RULING
The Supreme Court last month overturned the landmark ruling Roe V Wade, eliminating nearly 50 years of constitutional protections for abortion.
The 5-4 decision will leave the issues of abortion up to state legislators, which will ultimately result in a total ban on the procedure in about half of the states.
Following that decision the University of Michigan said: “U-M Health remains committed to providing high-quality, safe reproductive care for patients, across all their reproductive health needs.
“This includes abortion care, which remains legal in Michigan while challenges to various state-law criminal statutes continue to proceed.”
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The Sun has contacted Dr Collier and the University of Michigan for comment.
Shortly before the speech Dr Collier tweeted she was “truly grateful for the support, emails, texts, prayers and letters I’ve received from all over the world regarding the event that will happen today.”