MINNEAPOLIS — Student activists at the University of Minnesota are trying to reinstate a medical school fellowship in reproductive health that the school has delayed following opposition from anti-abortion groups.

University officials announced earlier this month that the fellowship would be delayed for a year as they examine the value of the training. The program was scheduled to begin this fall.

According to a press release, students from the Minnesota Student Association and Professional Student Government launched a petition last week addressed to university President Eric Kaler and medical school Dean Jakub Tolar.

The petition said the university gave in to pressure from lawmakers who threatened to pull funding if the institution didn’t remove the fellowship. The petition said that the university as a public institution shouldn’t let partisan politics influence educational programs.