A pro-abortion University at Albany professor was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly disrupting a pro-life event that took place at the school’s designated public forum.
A pro-life organization “Created Equal” was holding an event at the forum in New York when 57-year-old Renee Overdyke, who is listed as a sociology professor on the school’s website, allegedly tried to shut down the event by unplugging the group’s large LED screen, according to the groups’ president Mark Harrington.
“Her swift apprehension by police permitted Created Equal to resume the broadcast of our videos,” Harrington said in a tweet.
Harrington posted a video of Overdyke’s arrest to Twitter on Friday. The video shows several police officers trying to detain Overdyke, who is laying on the ground, appearing to be noncompliant. Overdyke repeatedly let out shrill screams during her arrest. Students can be heard in the background screaming “Free Renee” and “F*** the police.”
Officers were ultimately able to lift her up onto her feet and remove her from the forum. As they carried her away, she screamed “My body, my choice” and “let me go.”
Harrington told LifeNews that “interference in our outreach only emboldens us to defend the unborn.”
“We will not abandon preborn children in abortion sanctuary states like New York. New York is but one location where we are advancing our pro-life mission,” said Mark Harrington, president of Created Equal,” he continued.
He said Created Equal stopped at University at Albany as part of its Spring Road Trip for Life. The organization told the pro-life outlet that “hundreds of students were exposed to the reality of abortion using the group’s new college outreach LED screen.”
“Hence, dozens of students changed their positions on abortion during our tour. But our opposition was also fierce,” the group said in statement.
Overdyke is facing charges for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and obstructing governmental administration, according to New York State University Police at Albany arrest records.
Breitbart News reached out to the university for comment via email and asked if the school is taking any action following Overdyke’s arrest. Director of Communications Jordan Carleo-Evangelist, who has “he/him/his” preferred pronouns in his email signature, said “the university does not comment on personnel matters,” and referred Breitbart News to the university police arrest page.
“Consistent with the mission of an institution of higher learning, we expect members of our community to be able to voice their views in a manner that promotes constructive dialogue and honors UAlbany’s commitment to freedom of expression,” Carleo-Evangelist continued.
“On April 19, an outside organization used the university’s designated public forum for approximately 6.5 hours. To clarify: no signs were torn down during this event. One electronic sign was briefly unplugged,” he said.
LifeNews noted that pro-abortion activism is common at the University at Albany.
“Earlier this month, several student groups demanded that the Student Association provide free abortion pills and transgender hormones to students on campus,” according to the report. “The student groups also demanded that charges be dropped against two protesters who were arrested at an April 4 event with conservative speaker Ian Haworth and Turning Point USA.”
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