Published: November 24, 2025
Recently on campus, there has been some conversation surrounding the formation of a new pro-life USM club. Huskies for Life is a club that is focused on supporting and spreading awareness for unborn children and mothers, whether they are on or off the USM campus. They officially announced themselves to the Husky community just over a week ago, and since that has happened, many people have taken to Yik Yak and the club’s Instagram page to share their opinions. While there has been very little support from the community in the comments, the club has tried to make it very clear that they aren’t on campus to disagree with anyone.
In an interview with the founding members, who wish to remain anonymous, they stated, “It is really important that everyone shares their views and opinions in a respectful manner. If people are not willing to do that, then there is going to be no conversation period. Our mission is not to argue, our mission is not to be malicious, our mission is not to silence anyone; we actually want to hear the other side of it.” Huskies for Life maintains that they are one hundred percent encouraging dialogue from everyone. “We don’t like hate speech. We want free speech, and everyone has that.”
There has also been controversy surrounding a member of the Huskies for Life team. Faculty advisor Ryan Tuttle has been under a lot of fire from USM students, even becoming a reason for protest. It is important to remember that just because one person has certain views, it does not mean that they speak for the club in general.
In fact, when asked about the process of choosing their faculty advisor, they didn’t seem to have many options or support when it came to voicing their wishes for a pro-life club on campus. The member who was in charge of finding a faculty advisor stated, “I found it very difficult to find one for this club. Teachers outright ignored me, didn’t respond to my email. I had some people kind of just shut me down. I was reaching out to different departments throughout the school because I found that reaching out to individual professors and faculty wasn’t working out. I ended up getting connected with someone who was not affiliated with USM but they knew about Ryan and they suggested him.” Because of the controversy around the topic of pro-life/pro-choice, the members believe that it was hard to find a faculty member who wanted to help them out. When asked about a comment surrounding Ryan Tuttle, the founders did not wish to say anything more.
A student who also wishes to remain anonymous because of how difficult this kind of topic is to speak on, shared their opinion on the arrival of a pro-life organization on campus, “As someone who has experienced bringing someone that I love to an abortion clinic and watching them go through it, it makes my mind blown that a campus that preaches safe places and preaches inclusion can allow this to be on campus. We preach all these positive things just to have a club pop up that undermines all these values.” While this opinion is being heard and reciprocated by many other students, it is important to remember that this club is allowed to be here and that sending death threats or speaking hatefully to each other is not the way to go about this issue.
In fact, they have the right to be here according to a statement that was shared by the Student Senate — “In adherence to First Amendment Rights, and UMS policy, any Student Government within the UMaine system is prohibited from preventing a club’s formation based on religious, political, or ideological beliefs. This is because the UMS upholds the free exchange of ideas and civil discourse within higher education. While political student organizations have not had a presence at USM in many years, they have always been permitted. To start a club at USM, students are required to meet with Student Affairs Staff, gather interested students, and provide a viable Constitution to be approved by the Student Senate. In this process, both Professional Staff members and student officials under the Student Government Association ensure that a club is adept to follow guidelines as affiliates of the University. With the formation of a new political club on campus, it’s very likely that other new clubs will begin to form as well, such as ‘USM Democrats,’ ‘USM Republicans,’ or an issue-specific organization. In this case, we ask that all students treat each other with respect in the exchange of ideas on and off campus, or online. Higher education is intended to develop perspective through the pursuit of knowledge and exchange of ideas. In the event where civility and respect are not maintained, we encourage students to contact Student Affairs or the Board of Student Organizations for support.”
There have indeed been talks of another club forming because of the Huskies for Life club. Makayla Morello, a second-year student at USM, has been working on starting a pro-choice club. While trying to start this up, it was made clear that she wasn’t the only one interested in starting a club like this. Morello was already thinking about starting a club, but Huskies for Life motivated her to “take the idea more seriously.” When asked about communication and how they are going to handle backlash from the opposing side, Morello said, “I understand this is a sensitive issue, and some students will strongly disagree. My approach will be rooted in respect and clear communication. The club isn’t being created to spark conflict; it’s meant to support students who resonate with pro-choice values. If backlash does arise, I plan to help us stay focused on our mission and hopefully avoid hostile exchanges at all costs. I hope to encourage both myself and the club to model what it looks like to disagree without disrespect.” When asked about the formation of a pro-choice club, the Huskies for Life founders stated, “We are encouraging respectful dialogue.” Both sides have made it clear that they are not here to argue, and that they wish that the USM community will engage in respectful and kind conversations with each other surrounding this topic.
If you want to learn more about Huskies for Life, they are holding a tabling event this Tuesday, November 24th, in McGoldrick. When talking to them, the Free Press urges people participating to have a respectful exchange.
