Former reporter-editor Kelsey Rambaran reflects on covering anti-abortion group’s visits to George Brown

As a writer, one is often faced with having to write about topics that are not necessarily interesting to them, or topics that they don’t have any strong feelings toward in either direction.

However, there are those times when journalists are tasked with covering something that they do have strong opinions about, but must remain unbiased in their reporting to give both sides of the story.

This past year, I was given one such story that made me extremely upset when having to report it, because people I had to interview had such opposing views from my own. It was hard to take a step back from it and just listen to them as if I were a neutral party.

Many students were not pleased to find the anti-abortion protesters on George Brown College’s St. James campus back in the winter semester. They had made it their mission to go around to as many schools as possible in and around Toronto to attempt to have discourse with and dissuade students from being pro-choice.

As a feminist, I strongly believe in being pro-choice, female empowerment and equality for all. To me, this means women have the right to make their own decisions in all matters, and in this instance, that includes making choices about their health.

The anti-abortion protesters do not agree with me on this, and having to talk to someone who blatantly said that it’s not the mother’s body so it’s not her choice made my blood boil. But of course, I couldn’t say that to their face.

Instead, I wrote the story and kept my opinions to myself, which can be difficult sometimes. While it was a challenging series of pieces for me to write, I still feel as though I am better for having done so. I know I put my best reporting foot forward and can proudly say that I helped raise awareness by letting students know what was happening on their campus.

Kelsey Rambaran reported for The Dialog from February to June 2017.