Pictures of bloody fetuses and partially developed babies in metal dishes covered the wall.
I stepped onto campus two weeks ago just as sad as everyone else that spring break had ended so quickly and began making the endless trek to class on upper campus. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, I noticed the tall wall of blown-up photos of aborted babies. Words like “genocide” were boldly printed beside the images.
CSULB encourages progressive thinking and believes in the power of free speech, but the administration should draw the line when it comes to the anti-abortion demonstrators Bio-Ethical Reform.
Most students probably saw them walking to and from classes. They were hard to miss. I was not the only person who was offended by the graphic demonstrators.
“The pictures were scarring,” junior computer science major Aaron Chai said. “If you look around, you could see that pretty much everyone was very uncomfortable with the pictures.”
The photos were definitely too graphic. In the end, the organization’s message did not resonate with any of them. The only thing they remember is being deeply disturbed and completely horrified that the school would allow this particular public demonstration.
Everyone has the right to demonstrate his or her beliefs, but this was unnecessarily graphic. The organization could have presented their message in a more respectful way.
A month or so ago, there was a group advocating veganism in the same area on campus. The organization was showing videos of chickens in slaughterhouses and animals living in poor conditions. However, their demonstration methods were much more respectful. They would only show you videos and photos with your consent. The outside of the booth showed no traces of graphic content. Although I don’t plan on going vegan myself, I stopped by because I was genuinely curious.
As for the genocide demonstration, passing by it once was enough for me to change my route to class for the rest of the week.
This university has regulations set up for commercial and non-commercial solicitors. These solicitors must follow these guidelines in a manner “without voice amplification or other unduly loud noise, and without undue provocation, harassment or disturbance of persons in the area,” according to the CSULB’s website. Why doesn’t mental disturbance seem to count?
The university administration needs to better monitor what groups are allowed to demonstrate on campus.
Whether students are pro-life or pro-choice, these pictures should not be displayed in the center of campus ever again.