When I set out writing this column for the semester, I knew that I didn’t want to write about abortion. As a 30-year-old, ongoing and extremely heated debate within our society – about which everyone has an opinion – I thought that there were more salient things for us to talk about, and for me to write about. In my experience, I’ve found that forcing people to read or hear opinions regarding abortion instead of engaging in dialogue only results in anger and hurt.
As a member of this student body, I thought we had seen enough anger and hurt this semester. So while I wanted to be a provocative columnist, I decided that no good would come of me writing about abortion, unless something prodded me. Tuesday, I was prodded, when all members of this community were obliged to witness a large, offensive, anti-choice “protest,” and, quite frankly, I am outraged. I call this “protest” offensive because none of us – students who pay to attend this university and are trying to reunify as a community – should have one group’s opinions forced upon us with empty, emotionally-driven rhetoric through visual harassment as we do nothing more than go about our daily lives.
I realize this is a Catholic university, and that the Church as an institution morally opposes abortion. That’s all fine and good, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of us should just have to sit back and take it. But, what I also realize is that this is a liberal-arts school, one committed to justice and education. I am outraged at the irresponsibility of the administration on this matter – since these “protestors” had use of an entire quad and were allowed to put up gigantic signs,, the administration had to have approved.
It is disappointing that the administrators at this school – fine and committed educators – would allow this to happen simply because they agree with these “protestors.” I would have liked to think that they were above reducing a serious political debate to a silly, one-sided “protest.”
Come on, Loyola, we are better than this. We cannot be educated about an issue if we are only presented with one side. We all can acknowledge as educated individuals that every person has a right to her opinion. Everyone should be allowed to express his or her opinions in an appropriate fashion, and hopefully, an intellectually challenging or stimulating fashion. However, when it comes to the point where one side deems it necessary to make a big, un-intellectual, unopposed splash aimed at producing guilt and intimidation, the expression becomes downright offensive as it serves no purpose in bettering this educational community as whole.
If we want to address the issue of abortion as a community, why not hold a forum – as we are so fond of doing – where both sides of the debate may present each side of this very complicated issue? Call me crazy, but this seems like a more adult way to handle such a politically loaded issue, a way in which we may make our own choices.
What was essentially achieved with the anti-choice demonstration made on Tuesday was the creation of an unsafe environment: one in which not all students are free to voice their opinions; one in which talking about and even debating a major issue is replaced with emotionally-fueled propaganda; and one in which it becomes clear that the administration is only willing to grant that kind of voice to the students with whom they agree.
Believe whatever you want, but please, let’s raise the bar and try to communicate our opinions intelligently, not try to startle and scare our fellow students into being anti-choice.
