Scotch College students and staff left reeling by anti-abortion activist’s lecture

An anti-abortion activist’s surprise lecture to year 11 pupils at Melbourne’s Scotch College left students and staff shocked.

Dr Emma Wood spoke to year 11 boys on Tuesday as part of the Christian education curriculum, the college confirmed.

Wood runs the anti-abortion “Pro-Love Logic” organisation and gives presentations for students to understand the relationship between “widespread abortion and the individualistic sexual culture the West has embraced”.

Among the topics she discusses in her presentations aimed at high school students include the definition of abortion as “an act of harm inflicted on an unborn human being that both intends and accomplishes that unborn human’s death”.

She also uses examples including “testimony about babies born alive after abortion”.

In another presentation, Wood highlights claims of lack of commitment in sexual relationships as “a driver of abortions” and a comparison between “babies aborted in wedlock vs out of wedlock”.

A source not authorised to speak publicly but with knowledge of the presentation said Wood’s presentation made staff and students feel uncomfortable.

The source said principal Scott Marsh later apologised to staff about the handling of the presentation, and that no notice had been provided ahead of time. However, he did not apologise for the content, according to the source.

“It wasn’t carefully thought out ... A lot of the kids were pretty annoyed,” the source said.

On Wednesday, Marsh sent out a letter to the families of the students to explain the decision to have Wood speak at the college and acknowledged families should have received more information in advance.

He said parents had contacted the college since the presentation and said concerns had been raised in a respectful and constructive way.

“We recognise that this topic evokes strong and deeply personal views and has likely affected members of our community.

“It is clear from the feedback we received that we should have provided more information ahead of the presentation.”

Students would hear from a different perspective on the issue in the coming weeks, Marsh wrote.