The University of Southern Maine’s (USM) Huskies for Life, a pro-life organization, is facing online hatred and backlash for opposing abortion, including one comment from another student suggesting that they could be killed like Charlie Kirk.
“these Charlie Kirk enthusiasts gotta be careful don’t they know what happened to that guy, [sic]” said one anonymous USM student.
According to a member of the pro-life group who spoke with The Maine Wire, the post was made in response to a post on their account on the college-centered social media site Yik Yak. The site allows college students to sign up with their school and post anonymously with only the name of their school listed.
The comment, apparently suggesting that the pro-life students should be afraid for their lives, drew 28 upvotes from other Yik Yak users.
While that was the only post reviewed by The Maine Wire that appeared to hint at actual violence, the pro-life group has drawn a significant amount of other backlash.
In another Yik Yak post, one user claimed that she was organizing a field trip to Planned Parenthood to protest the pro-life group, and another retorted that she would get pregnant just for the occasion.
“Group field trip to planned parenthood [sic] tomorrow to all get abortions and protest huskiesforlife,” said one user from USM.
“Getting pregnant just for the occasion,” added another.
The hatred from pro-choice students wasn’t relegated to anonymous posts on Yik Yak.
“Portrait of a lady on fire except it’s you guys burning in hell for this absolute bullshit,” said one Instagram user.
Some social media users apparently began calling for the club to be banned from the school.
“How is this an actual club? Embarrassing! Petition to get rid of this stupid club,” said one user.
Some of the commenters focused their attention on USM Professor Ryan Tuttle, the club’s faculty advisor.
Some students suggested that they should work to get Tuttle fired based on some of his posts on X, while another put a “hex on (his) whole bloodline.” The Maine Wire was unable to view his posts because his account is set to private.
The Maine Wire reached out to Tuttle, asking for his comment on the backlash facing the pro-life group, but he did not immediately respond.
A member of Huskies for Life has reached out to school officials, informing them of the posts. However, according to the member, the school has to date made no public statements on the situation.
It is not clear what school officials could do to prevent social media users from commenting on posts unless they stray into criminal threatening, which the posts reviewed by The Maine Wire did not appear to do.
The Huskies for Life member said that the verbal attacks against the group have thus far only taken place online, but she preferred not to be named out of concern for potential greater backlash.
