Video shows medical students walking out of their white coat ceremony because an anti-abortion professor was making the keynote speech
Brendan Scorpio/Insider
- University of Michigan med students walked out of their white coat ceremony on Sunday.
- They were protesting the choice of Dr. Kristin Collier, an avowed anti-abortion medic, as keynote speaker.
- Dozens of students had signed a petition to remove her as the keynote speaker but the university refused.
University of Michigan medical students walked out of their white coat ceremony on Sunday as an anti-abortion professor was about to give the keynote speech.
More than 340 current and incoming students had signed a petition before the ceremony that said Dr. Kristin Collier, an assistant professor at the school, should not be the event's keynote speaker, student newspaper The Michigan Daily reported.
The petition to remove Collier linked to posts in which she described abortion as an act of "violence directed at my prenatal sisters" and said "God is the maker of our biology" as she argued against abortion. Collier also described herself as a "pro-life person" in an interview with The Pillar, a Catholic news site, last month.
But Collier still spoke at the weekend's event — which marks students' entry into the medical field — and students stood and walked out as she approached the stage.
Footage of the walkout was filmed and shared by Brendan Scorpio, who told Insider he was there to see a friend receive a white coat. A University of Michigan spokeswoman also confirmed to Insider on Monday that the walkout took place.
—Scorpiio (@PEScorpiio) July 24, 2022
The footage shows students wearing their white coats standing up and leaving the room before Collier started speaking.
The speech heard in that video matches the one given by Collier in the official university video of the ceremony, which does not cut to or show the audience during her speech. Her address did not mention abortion, the National Review reported.
It is not clear how many students were at the ceremony, how many walked out, and how many stayed. The medical school said 168 students were in the class of 2022.
In their petition, the students said Collier's previous comments were "antithetical to the tenets of reproductive justice as restrictions on abortion affect women of color, other marginalized women, and trans people disproportionately."
"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," the petition said.
"This is not simply a disagreement on personal opinion; through our demand we are standing up in solidarity against groups who are trying to take away human rights and restrict medical care."
In a Monday statement to Insider, the University of Michigan said: "The White Coat Ceremony is not a platform for discussion of controversial issues ... Dr. Collier never planned to address a divisive topic as part of her remarks. However, the University of Michigan does not revoke an invitation to a speaker based on their personal beliefs."
The university spokeswoman said the university was committed to giving safe reproductive care, including abortion care. Abortion is currently legal in Michigan even after the US Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Scorpio, who published the video, told Insider that he supported the students' walkout, saying that "for a group of incoming medical students to stand together for what they believe in understanding any possible risks is very commendable."
"They are committed to the betterment of people as a whole and their message is one of hope through leading by example."