The graphic images are back. For the second year in a row, anti-abortion protesters stationed themselves on The Green last Thursday and Friday. Images of aborted fetuses and Holocaust victims hung side-by-side in what the group called The Genocide Awareness Project. Their displays were smaller, and their message seemed more disconnected.
Sponsored by the Pro-Life Vanguard, an on-campus RSO, the goal of the project is to bring about awareness of the cruelties of abortion. However, with such a radical campaign and illogical comparison, garnering favor from those who pass the images on the on The Green is a far-reaching goal for the group.
Attempting to connect abortion and genocide is ridiculously erroneous and to equate the two only distances others from their intended message. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, genocide is defined as the "deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group." Abortion does not even begin to fit this definition at any point.
As protesters stationed themselves on The Green, conversing with one of the members seemed a one-sided lost cause. There was no welcoming feeling of equal debate; instead, there was only anticipation that any attempt to gain insight would lead to a tirade of misinformation. Perhaps with a more accessible campaign that welcomes rather than repels, individuals would be more inclined to understand the views of the group.
Perhaps the only improvement from last year's protest was the placement of the display, which could easily be avoided this year, but the group's mobile unit—a van with further images of aborted fetuses—that circled the campus was an unwelcome addition to the campaign.
Everyone has the right to free speech, but sensible arguments should be made before implementing that right.
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