During the keynote speech of an anti-abortion speaker at the university’s white coat ceremony, dozens of students from the University of Michigan Medical School in the United States staged a walkout. When Dr. Kristin Collier started speaking, a video that went viral showed students leaving the auditorium.

The students staged a walkout after an earlier petition to have the speaker removed was unsuccessful, according to US news outlet Fox News. After the keynote speaker expressed some anti-abortion sentiments on social media, students allegedly protested against her.

When a pro-life assistant professor of medicine from UMMS addressed the incoming students at their White Coat Ceremony, more attendees left the event as a result.

Students were seen leaving their seats and making their way toward the auditorium doors in a video shot during the event. The video has now received more than 327,300 likes and 38,500 retweets after going viral very rapidly.

The white coat ceremony is a ceremonial occasion held for students to signify their acceptance into the medical profession.

According to sources, the petition got 340+ student signatures. Up to 72 community members, including residents, doctors, graduate students, and graduates from Michigan Medicine, have also signed the petition.

The petition stated, as quoted by The Michigan Daily, “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.”

Source: hindustan times