Last Tuesday, the lawn outside Bailey Library was filled with blue and pink crosses. Pro-Life Slippery Rock hosted a display entitled “Cemetery of Innocents” which featured the crosses. The crosses, which were vandalized sometime after the group put them up on Monday night and before the event concluded at the end of common hour on Tuesday, were intended to represent the unborn victims of abortions.
Stephani Damato, media coordinator for the group and junior English Secondary Education major, explained that the event created a “physical representation of all the voices that never get to be heard.”
The blue crosses were intended to be for aborted males and the pink aborted females.
During common hour, members of the organization arrived at the “cemetery” to answer questions and advertise for Monday’s upcoming “Murder by Law” debate only to notice that some of the crosses had been broken.
A pro-choice poster was also discovered nearby, after the vandalism was noticed.
“We should be allowed to express our beliefs without being disrespected and vandalized,” Damato said in response to the vandalism.
Clearly not everyone approved of the display. Taryn Gulkewicz, a sophomore mathematics major, said, “I don’t think that pro-life is wrong, but putting it on display is almost provoking in a way because not everyone has that view.”
While Gulkewicz admits being annoyed at the display, but she agrees that the vandalism went too far. She explains, “Vandalism is going too far…we should all just be able to have our own opinions and respect one another’s.”
“We’re just trying to defend people who can’t defend themselves.” Damato explains.
The display remained throughout common hour, as planned, but was not left up any longer to avoid any further potential disturbances.
The disturbance also drew attention from “Campus Reform,” “Life News,” and “Conservative Daily News,” all of which reported on the incident.
Abortion is a hot button topic, both at Slippery Rock and in America. If you are interested in learning more about the topic or discussing it further, consider attending the “Murder by Law” debate on Monday or taking Medical Health Care Ethics at Slippery Rock, a course in which abortion is often a topic of discussion.
“Murder by Law,” a pro-life vs. pro-choice debate, will be held Monday at 7:30 in Spotts. President Norton will serve as the moderator. Pro-Life Slippery Rock meets every other Monday at 8:02 p.m. at the third floor of the Robert M. Smith Student Center.
