Abortion has always been a hot button topic in US politics, one with fervent supporters on all sides of the debate. The issue has gained momentum in recent years due to legislative acts and court cases. The heated emotions and fierce opposition that accompanies the movement has made its way to Apex Friendship High School in a newly blatant fashion with the formation of the Students for Life and Students for Choice clubs. These clubs sparked palpable controversy at the school, both from students and onlookers, according to the principal, Matt Wight. He responded to the issue, saying “This is an opportunity for people to learn civics. And that is that people have a right under the Wake County Board and the Supreme Court to have a student-initiated club.” Wight supported the foundation of both a Pro-Life and Pro-Choice club at the school, in order to allow more students to freely express their opinion in an educational and civil manner.
Posters for the Students for Life Club first went up in mid-October. The club held their first meeting over Zoom on October 19 due to safety concerns and potential disruptions, but they met in person for the first time in November. Eliza Olive (10), the President of the Students for Life Club, says “The goal of the club is to be able to educate everyone in the school on what abortion is...and to be able to share the pro-life portion of the abortion debate with the school and also to be able to help with our community.” Olive has big plans for the club, including the continuation of their monthly meetings, participating in service projects, and attending marches and events to promote the club views. Above all, she emphasizes that “We don’t want to force people to do anything- we just want to let people know that abortion isn’t the only option.”
The Pro-Choice club formed as another platform for student discussion on abortion, and held its first meeting on November 9. Cayden Ludlow (9), a member and media manager for the club, speaks on its goal, saying they “just want to be able to spread information about women’s rights and to be able to make sure that the students hear and know that they have rights.” The Pro-Choice club plans to expand their efforts past the issue of abortion to include advocating for underrepresented members of the female community, women’s rights as a whole, and potentially campaign for female hygiene products to be provided in school bathrooms.
Ultimately, while the formation of both the Students for Life and Pro Choice clubs may have been controversial to some, the leaders of both clubs, as well as Principal Wight, all hope to cultivate a positive environment for students to learn more about the abortion controversy. Wight urges students and parents to respect the members of both clubs, and to remember that the right of the clubs to exist remains firm. In a final message to AFHS, Mr. Wight says, “I’m hoping that we can help the students involved in the clubs, and also the students in general, learn that part of living in a democracy means being able to disagree without being hateful and hurtful to the people you disagree with.”
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