The group’s Facebook page was created in July 2018 but was only officially approved last month.

A spokesperson from BFSL told Redbrick: ‘We decided to start Birmingham Students For Life, because we felt that pregnancy and its implications were topics not being readily discussed on campus, and so, to provide another perspective on the process.

‘Primarily, we want to enable women, on campus, and nationally, to be able to continue on with pregnancy, in situations, where pregnancy may seem either circumstantially or financially unfeasible.’

A spokesperson from the Guild of Students told Redbrick: ‘The Pro-Life Group at the Guild was officially approved after a considered discussion between the students proposing to establish the group and the Guild’s Student Groups Executive; a body of students elected to approve new groups.’

Izzy Bygrave, the Guild’s Welfare and Community Officer, told Redbrick that BSFL ‘were approved on the condition that they work with members of staff in the Guild to develop their constitution in order to help them run their events safely and to mitigate potential risks to other students running activities on campus.’

In an interview with the Women’s Officers in Redbrick last semester, before the society’s approval, Alif Trevathan said: ‘We’re worried that this means their events won’t simply be private discussions […] this is not something we want. We don’t want people who can get pregnant, women or other, to feel like they are on a campus that is not safe for them, or that the Guild officially endorses ideologies that attempt to remove their autonomy.’

Holly Battrick added: ‘We do not believe they should have a platform.’

According to their Facebook page, BSFL intends to follow the Guild’s zero-tolerance policy. ‘We want to ensure that we do not upset or offend any persons, and have no desire whatsoever to do so; we do not tolerate any form of aggression or discrimination.’

In light of this announcement, another society called Birmingham Students For Choice Association (BSFCA) has been formed, although the group is still waiting to be officially approved by the Guild.

Nicole Donaldson, Chair of BSFCA, told Redbrick: ‘BSFCA might have seemingly come about as a reaction to the (so-called) “pro-life” group on campus, but we are absolutely not pitting ourselves in opposition, or even in relation, to them.

‘However, the fact that this group was formed indicates a worrying feeling in the student body as a whole, and so it seems that the climate on campus makes an active, pro-choice society absolutely paramount. We want to make it clear that this “pro-life” perspective does not control the dialogue here at the University of Birmingham.’

The BSFCA Facebook page has over 800 likes and says that they intend ‘to “give a voice to choice,” protecting and campaigning for bodily autonomy and reproductive health, particularly in relation to abortion.’

A spokesperson from the University of Birmingham said: ‘Universities are places for informed debate and discussion with space to accommodate differing views, something demonstrated by the over 300 different student groups, societies and associations already in place.

‘Student societies are run by students, for students, as part of the remit of the Guild of Students. We believe that universities are a place for acquiring knowledge and challenging ideas in a civil way and we are clear in our expectation that students should treat each other in a respectful and dignified way at all times.’