The anti-abortion exhibits have stirred up the abortion conflict once again on our campus. I have so much to say about the exhibit and about the larger abortion debate that I don’t know where to start! Here are the two central points I would like to make.
Freedom of speech gives them the right to come on campus and I respect that, but freedom also gives me the right to choose. American freedom means freedom from persecution because of your religious beliefs; it means freedom to live without others dictating your actions. American freedom means personal privacy and the right to choose which church to go to, which car to buy, which job to take, which method of birth control to use etc. – But when religious groups protest sex education in schools, they are taking away our freedom. When abstinence only education is taught there are more teen pregnancies then when comprehensive sex education is taught. I want education and I want the freedom to make my own choices. Please don’t infringe on my rights and I won’t on yours. If you don’t want to have an abortion then don’t, but how dare you tell me what to do with my body.
Freedom of speech gives you the right to say what you think, but to come onto a college campus and spread lies and misinformation is disrespectful and cowardly. To say that breast cancer is linked to abortions is ridiculous! There is no scientific basis for this claim. I am disheartened that people make up lies to try and scare us to do as they say. Hey this reminds me of George W. a little – I wonder which came first – lies about abortion or lies about war/oil?
Lizzy LaMotte-Mitchell
Political science junior