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September 29, 2005

It never ends

Just a few days after one protest that turned off all of grounds, another one happened today (warning: graphic images). According to Cari and other sources (I spent little time on grounds today and was unaware of the protest until this evening), another group, Life and Liberty, has made its way to the University of Virginia, this time discouraging abortion. Only, they went a step too far.

Delegate Dick Black from Loudoun County was known to have handed out some small plastic models of the unborn child at the end of the first trimester. It looks amazingly human and sends a clear, strong message. However, his message is not graphic. This antiabortion group brought in a truck with an aborted child on the side. They had posters with similar images. Much like the Woroniecki family and PETA (many, many times unfortunately), they came to condemn, rather than reason.

Cari states that Voices for Planned Parenthood, or VOX, was aware of their arrival last night, and my sources suggest that First Right (a prolife organization here at UVa) was as well. First Right chose to distance themselves from Life and Liberty; however, I am unaware of any organized protest of this group. Many of my fellow College Republicans also condemned the actions, though no official discussion has commenced on the antiabortion protest.

And Cari makes a good point.
The demonstrators, by holding up signs that say (direct quote) "God hates the hands that shed innocent blood" along with the most gruesome pictures they can find, are not only judging women who have abortions, they're saying "God hates you."
To Life and Liberty, this is the wrong message to send. Evangelism has been undermined on grounds by these two protests.

While I have no authority in stating the official positions by pro-life or Christian groups on grounds, I will say not to associate these protests with them. Their methodologies are flawed, if not entirely wrong; the groups on grounds have worked very hard to be taken seriously and to be part of the University community. It would be a shame if these events led to them being shunned.