A pro-life protest in Kogan Plaza Monday brought abortion rights back to the forefront of many GW students’ minds that had been more recently occupied by economic and health care issues.
The protest, according to College Republicans Communications Director Rob Noel, was hosted by outside organizations unaffiliated with GW. Featured prominently was a set of bagpipes, the music of which was so loud that several GW students complained that their midterm studying was being interrupted. Eventually the protesters were chased off campus by pro-choice individuals.
“It is hard to say exactly what the motives of the protesters were since I have no doubt that they knew the environment they were entering,” said Greta Twombly, vice president of the College Democrats, referring to the fact that GW is typically a liberal university. “Undoubtedly though, they wanted to stir up emotions and certainly achieved this objective.”
Twombly said that Monday’s protest was a reminder that “the fight for woman's rights and the pro-choice movement is never over and should never be taken for granted.”
“The College Democrats strongly support a woman's right to a safe and legal abortion and we oppose any efforts to weaken this right,” she said.
But Noel said that the abortion debate is not about women’s rights so much as it is about the rights of the unborn child.
“Every life has the inalienable right to a chance at growth and liberty,” Noel said. “For a woman or man to decide that the timing is not right for them is to make a decision that directly infringes on the constitutional and intrinsic right of the child. Most medical and scientific professionals recognize that life begins at conception.”
Noel said there are alternatives to abortion, such as adoption, that are preferable because they are “far more conducive to protecting the human rights of everyone involved.”
Twombly agreed that the need for abortions should be addressed, citing family planning and improved sex-education as alternatives to the procedure.
On this Sunday's "News in Depth," communications director Michael Garber of the GW College Democrats and communications director Rob Noel of the GW College Republicans face off on the week's top headlines: the passage of health care, the state of U.S.-Israeli relations, McCain and Palin back together again, and much more!
