When senior Mawardi Ali attended the Sexual Health Club meeting held Feb. 23, she felt appreciative having a place to address personal topics.

“It was good we could have a group that we could talk about this kind stuff (abortion),” Ali said. “It’s a good topic to talk about (and) some people might feel uncomfortable talking about it, but it is always a safe space.”

Sexual Health Education Club (SHEC) co-president and junior Izzi Gilbert Burke said she chose to discuss abortion to help educate others about the topic.

“Whether your views are pro-life or pro-choice, it’s important that people know what it is, people are informed and have the resources to formulate their own opinions,” Gilbert Burke said.

Gilbert Burke said she hopes the meetings provide students with the opportunity to consider their own thoughts and understand the topics discussed.

“At the beginning (I said) ‘no matter what your views are, I want you to be able to formulate your own opinion’,” Gilbert Burke said. “I told them I wanted them to be able to be knowledgeable and really learn something (at the club).”

Junior Mitchell Vortherms said he was shocked to hear multiple student opinions about this topic.

“It was just very surprising to see everyone’s different opinions and where we are as a school,” Vortherms said.

Ali said she believes abortion is a topic that needs to be addressed more often.

“A lot of people don’t care for it but it’s going to have a lot of effect later on (so), I would like people to come to the group and listen,” Ali said.

Gilbert Burke said she anticipates hearing a variety of perspectives and for students to comfortably express their opinions at future SHEC meetings.

“This year there have been a lot more people, but not many different people talking, so we want to work with that,” Gilbert Burke said. “For some people it’s hard to say your opinion and if you don’t know it, that makes it a lot harder.”