Nonprofit wants to 'force a consensus' on abortion

The Speaker's Platform lawn was covered with large images of aborted fetuses Monday, sparking debate among Cal State Long Beach students.

The nonprofit organization Center for Bio-Ethical Reform visited CSULB for the first time to present the Genocide Awareness Project (GAP), a series of displays comparing abortion to, for example, war and the holocaust. There were also images of the Ku Klux Klan, Pearl Harbor and lynchings, while some photographs of aborted fetuses included coins for size comparison.

According to Don Cooper, director of the center, the display is meant to educate people about both prenatal development and abortion.

"We want to present abortion in a greater historical context and challenge the students here on campus to look past forms of genocide and see how they compare to abortion as it's practiced today," Cooper said. "We aren't saying that any form of genocide is identical, but there are certain similarities, and with abortion it starts with the large masses that are killed."

The center also came to CSULB because "universities are a place where our government leaders and world leaders are produced," Cooper said. "We want them to be informed on these bioethical issues like abortion."

He said the center wants to reach both men and women of the younger generation.

The organization was asked to visit CSULB by the campus organization Catholic Newman Club. According to Alma Samson, a member of the club, the center was invited "to spread knowledge and truth, and to dispel ignorance."

Some of the club members volunteered to pass out brochures and talk to students near the display, along with volunteers from various pro-life groups, according to Ma'May Faucher, director of donor and volunteer support at the center.

Samson said the club has participated in other related events in the past, including 40 Days for Life, in which members would gather outside of abortion clinics and pray.

"We want to force a consensus about who the unborn child is and what abortion does to them, so our first goal is to really force people out of the fiction — or out of the lie — that they've been told that this is just a blob of tissue," Cooper said. "We're not forcing a person to do something, we're just giving them the facts … and most people, we've found, are more ignorant than they are evil when it comes to killing somebody."

There were also signs put up by the center for the National Life Center's "crisis pregnancy hotline" and a "Free Speech Board" put up by the center next to the display, which allowed people to write their thoughts.

One person wrote, "[This display] is not at all helpful. It is the incorrect message to send to the public. The images are offensive … don't you think this is a form of terrorism?"

Students stopped by the display throughout the day, though they did not all have the same opinion on abortion and the displays.

"It's pretty shocking; it's sad," said Elena Gomez, an undeclared freshman. "You may hear about it and stuff, but to see it put this way, it has a big impact on me."

Akinsanya Kambon, a CSULB professor, also saw the display and said he had experienced genocide as both a Vietnam War veteran and someone who had visited Rwanda in 1994.

"I've seen hundreds of bodies hacked to pieces in a church in Rwanda, so I'm familiar with genocide," Kambon said. "I'm pretty much against abortion, but this brings it home a little more."

Brieana Gonzales, a junior communications major, said she is pro-life and agrees with the message being communicated.

"The pictures are so graphic," Gonzales said. "It usually takes something really graphic like this to get people's attention."

Other students feel that the display will not change anybody's minds.

"I'm just cynical enough to wonder whether even seeing this is going to do any good because people … can be so selective about what they see," said Tracy Kale, a junior history major who initially expected, after seeing the "Warning: Genocide Photos Ahead" signs, that the event was either a Darfur or anti-Israel rally.

Kevin Schwed, a business marketing sophomore who said he has not taken a strong stance on abortion, agreed that the display would not sway students one way or the other.

"I guess I'm glad people have strong feelings about this, but I think a lot of people tend to go overboard," Schwed said. "By this time, a lot of people have made up their minds -- I don't think displays are going to change anything."

Brenda Portillo, a freshman kinesiology major, was one student affected by the display.

"I used to be pro-choice and then with this, it's like, kind of made me rethink that's pretty immoral," Portillo said.

Some students were bothered by the displays and how people were presenting their information about abortion. Many pro-choice students argued the controversial topic with others, including the center workers and volunteers.

Cooper said he hoped that "most people, if they have a functioning conscience and they're intellectually honest, they're going to come to the conclusion that [abortion] isn't something they should do and this is something of such an evil that the government should restrict it."

"It's just going to be an ongoing debate forever," said Devin Wilson, a senior history major.

According to Wilson, a volunteer had eavesdropped on a conversation he was having with other people and tried to "induce an argument," he said. "That's not cool."

Members of the Feminist Organization Reclaiming Consciousness and Equality (FORCE) also attended the event, armed with posters such as "Get your religion out of my uterus!" and "Against abortion? Don't get one!" Members of FORCE also had a poster for pro-choice students to sign.

"They have a right to be here, and so do we," said Justine Schneeweis, chair of FORCE. "I think it's good because it ignites people to think about it and to argue with them."