Upon returning to campus after winter break, I was greeted by several more feet of snow on the ground, a new hockey arena, and a pile of unwashed laundry left on my floor prior to break. A less noticeable, yet equally significant change was the arrival of a series of posters, broadcasting the tens of millions of abortions that have occurred since the Supreme Court handed down the 1972 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion nationwide.
The posters invited students to join the Catholic Student Union in a vigil on January 22, to commemorate the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The posters prominently displayed a large, color picture of an almost-full-term fetus.
I was immediately put-off by the posters. The use of such an in-your-face tactic seemed insensitive protesting a decision that has helped millions of women. In discussions following the poster's debut, many students agreed that the Catholic Student Union should have organized their vigil in a more discreet way.
The image, in particular, disturbed many. It seemed to falsely indicate that the fetus in the picture was at a stage in which it was subject to abortion. In fact, a 2002 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study asserts that nearly 60 percent of all abortions occur within the first eight weeks of gestation—far earlier in development than the image on the poster. Several imagined that any woman who has chosen to have an abortion would have been very disturbed by the sight of such a fully-developed fetus. I thought that the posters were tactless and offensively one-sided in their portrayal of an issue that hit many close to home.
Hoping to glean some understanding from examining the other side of the issue, I went to the Chapel that Wednesday night to experience what I expected to be an attack on the views of so many students on campus.
What I got shattered my expectations. The scene in the chapel was quiet, respectful, and incredibly intimate. Only a handful of students sat, reflecting silently, on the benches. I was given a sheet explaining that every 27 seconds, a woman undergoes an abortion. One student rang a bell in that increment to commemorate the unborn.
The scene had me completely taken aback. The vigil was a gathering of like minds, and did not serve as a forum for debate or discussion. Where I had expected harsh words about the indecency of the pro-choice stance, I saw instead people mourning the loss of life.
I contacted Robert Flores '12, who helped to organize the vigil, seeking out further explanation. Flores contended that the group aimed to spark interest, not controversy, by advertising the vigil so provocatively. When asked if the posters had a target audience, Flores said that the Catholic Student Union hoped to reach out to other pro-life students on campus and to present an alternative to the overwhelmingly pro-choice stance on campus. He added that the vigil's aim was to promote a respect for life, and was not necessarily political in nature. The vigil was held in reverence of the beauty of life, Flores said, and was not intended to offend those of opposing viewpoints. He said that the posters served not as an accusation, but as an invitation to those with similar beliefs.
After taking the proverbial jump, if not leap, to conclusions, I was forced to take several steps back. The bottom line comes down to an issue of free speech—the members of the Catholic Student Union have a right to voice their opinions, and to do so in as public a manner as they desire.
As a woman who identifies herself as pro-choice, I now find myself disappointed that students on campus, or perhaps women's groups on campus, did not see the anniversary of Roe v. Wade as an opportunity to celebrate the decision. It is important not to become complacent when part of the majority: just as those with more conservative views can, and should, voice their opinions, so should those who belong to the more liberal contingent on campus. Debate on campus is critical, and all sides of an issue should be voiced and represented.
This issue goes beyond the group's fundamental right to express itself. On a campus as "liberal" as Bowdoin's, students should welcome dissent. We preach open-mindedness, yet we seem predisposed to react to, and be offended by, certain issues. It is easy to call oneself accepting of others' opinions while surrounded by people who share similar views.
Emily Graham is a member of the class of 2011.