Yes, the $160 cost of attending this January’s March for Life is down
almost $100 from last year. But we recognize that $160 is still a lot of
money, especially for a college student. So here's your chance to reduce
the amount you pay even further.
Thanks to the generosity of St. Thomas Catholic Church, this year SFL is
able to give out $50 scholarships to up to four individual March-goers. To
be considered for the scholarship, interested persons need to write a
brief, 1-2 page response on the following topic.
Prompt: What do you hope to get out of attending this year's March for
Life?
Due: Essays must be emailed to umstudentsforlife@gmail.com by 12:00pm on Monday,
November 28th. Scholarship recipients will be announced that evening at the
meeting.
Special Note: In order to ensure that judging is as objective as possible,
please DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE ESSAY!!! Instead,
include your name and email in a SEPERATE PAGE AT THE VERY END OF THE
ESSAY!
Finally, please note that it is certainly to everyone's advantage to submit
at least something. We have four scholarships to give away, so even those
who don't consider essay-writing a strongpoint could win by default! Let me know if you have any questions.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
March for Life money due next Monday!!!
Barring the end of the world, exactly two months from now 40 SFLers will be
in Washington D.C. with 400,000+ other pro-lifers getting ready to march on
the National Mall. That's right, the annual March for Life is approaching,
and approaching fast!
To that end, this is just a reminder that the payment for the March is due
by NEXT MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28th. The cost this year is $160 (down from last
year's $240). If you are planning on going on the March, We will need this
full amount no later than next Monday's meeting in the Union. Checks may be
made out to "Students for Life at the University of Michigan." We have 40
spots available.
Let me know if you have any questions. Also, anyone who is interested but
who cannot, for one reason or another, make the payment deadline should
contact us ASAP.
in Washington D.C. with 400,000+ other pro-lifers getting ready to march on
the National Mall. That's right, the annual March for Life is approaching,
and approaching fast!
To that end, this is just a reminder that the payment for the March is due
by NEXT MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28th. The cost this year is $160 (down from last
year's $240). If you are planning on going on the March, We will need this
full amount no later than next Monday's meeting in the Union. Checks may be
made out to "Students for Life at the University of Michigan." We have 40
spots available.
Let me know if you have any questions. Also, anyone who is interested but
who cannot, for one reason or another, make the payment deadline should
contact us ASAP.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Blog surpasses 1,000 hits! When will the petition do the same?
Right now it's looking like it may be quite awhile, as we currently have only have 93 signers. Have you signed the petition yet?
Monday, November 14, 2011
Have you signed the petition yet?
The U currently mandates that international undergraduate students purchase health care that includes abortion coverage. Yes, you read that correctly.
If this makes you unhappy, which it should, help put an end to it by signing our petition! Anyone with a UMich uniquename can sign. You do not need to be an international student. The petition text states as follows:
Yes, on this issue SFL is pro-choice.
If this makes you unhappy, which it should, help put an end to it by signing our petition! Anyone with a UMich uniquename can sign. You do not need to be an international student. The petition text states as follows:
The University should offer a separate insurance plan for international students so that these students will not be required to fund abortions. In this new insurance plan, students will be able to select whether or not to fund abortions; those who choose not to pay for abortions will allow the money that would have gone to abortions to be distributed in other areas covered by the insurance plan.This petition isn't just for pro-lifers. It's for anyone who wants the right to choose what he/she does with his/her own...money.
Yes, on this issue SFL is pro-choice.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Backwards, Medieval, anti-Science Pro-Lifers...
...present medical evidence that life begins at conception. Surely the other side pointed out that their argument was false and lacked any proper scientific evidence to support it? Nope. Instead they got a friendly reminder from Advocates for Choice that "science cannot be applied to my body". I'll have to remember that one the next time I'm in the Emergency Room.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Abortion doesn't empower women
From the Op-Ed section of the Michigan Daily, by our own Elise Aikman!
Great job, Elise!
Great job, Elise!
VIEWPOINT: ABORTION DOESN'T EMPOWER WOMEN
By Elise Aikman
I participated in an abortion debate held by the Michigan Political Union last Monday. Several times throughout the event, students raised concern about the impact of abortion bans on the poor. Legalizing abortion, they argued, not only spares children from suffering in dire poverty, but can also empower women to break through the poverty cycle.The impoverished conditions, under which the majority of the world’s population lives, are truly appalling. However, I believe the suggestion that legalizing abortion should play a part in reducing poverty is gravely flawed for two reasons. First, it is inappropriate to solve societal problems by eliminating the people affected. We don’t fight malaria by killing those with malarial infections. Similarly, we shouldn’t fight poverty by aborting the poor. Secondly, there is no evidence that legalizing abortion helps women break through poverty. True women’s empowerment requires education, material resources and personal support — not abortion.One reason given for legalizing abortion in underdeveloped countries is that abortion spares children from a life of poverty and suffering. Easing suffering is a commendable goal, and one that I share, but when the desire to prevent suffering leads us to eliminate those who will suffer, we commit a grave error.Last summer, I visitedKenya and. There I saw village after village of malnourished children. I mention this because I want to make it clear that in no way do I wish to trivialize the suffering of billions of people. On the contrary, the severity and extent of the extreme poverty those children live in overwhelmed me. However, the fact that those children suffer does not make their lives valueless. The suffering they endure does not take away their worth as human beings. It is not up to us, the privileged, to say that children, who will be born into desperately poor circumstances, simply shouldn’t be born at all. Rather, we have an obligation as privileged residents of a privileged country, to share our blessings with those who have less. Uganda Those on both sides of the abortion debate must do more to improve material conditions for the poor, both in theand abroad. How we choose to provide that support — through government aid, non-profit organizations or cultivating personal relationships — is another matter. The point is we can’t, in good conscience, fight poverty by killing those who will experience it. United States Secondly, abortion advocates are misguided when they insist that legalizing abortion empowers women. Susan B. Anthony, leader of 19th century campaigns for women’s suffrage, writes: “When a man steals to satisfy hunger, we may safely conclude that there is something wrong in society — so when a woman destroys the life of her unborn child, it is an evidence that either by education or circumstances she has been greatly wronged.”
Anthony recognized that women seeking abortion do not do so because they feel empowered. On the contrary, they are often motivated by a sense of desperation. There is tragic irony in the fact that while abortion rights advocates offer slogans of “choice,” it is often the case that women seek abortions because they feel they have no alternative. Furthermore, before we advocate for legal abortion overseas, we should examine whether abortion has improved conditions for the poor in our own country.Nearly four decades after Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in the, inequality is higher, not lower, than it was in 1973. Look at U.S. , which has 14 abortion clinics. Correlation is certainly not causation, yet it is safe to say that access to legal abortion has not kept Detroit women out of poverty. Legalizing abortion in Detroit will not make Kenyan women less poor. Abortion will not educate them or provide better hospitals or income. These are the areas where we should focus our efforts to empower women — education, maternal and child health care, financial opportunities such as microfinance, etc. Misplaced emphasis on legal abortion for impoverished women distracts from the lack of educational and material resources that drives them to seek abortion in the first place. Kenya The reality is that women want to bring their children into a world where they can adequately care and provide for them. Efforts to empower women should target the lack of educational opportunities, material resources and personal support that lead women to feel that they cannot bring that child into the world — the reasons women seek abortion in the first place. Let’s work together in a genuine creative effort to find real, workable solutions to poverty, but not by aborting the children of the poor.On Wednesday, Nov. 9 three women who chose abortion will be speaking about this experience and its effect on them to the campus community. It will be in the Henderson Room of the Michigan League at 7 p.m. with a question-and-answer period to follow the speakers. I would encourage anyone who is interested to attend.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
If you have a sensitive stomach...
...you may want to refrain from reading this news article from LifeSiteNews.
Folks, this just goes to show that if you can justify killing a baby in the womb, you can justify just about anything. If the following doesn't convince someone of the evil of the abortion industry, we don't know what will. Thank God the law is finally coming down on these people, but it's a shame our legal system doesn't recognize that every abortion "clinic" is indeed a "House of Horrors."
[Hat tip to a SV and IV, our fellow allies from the debate, for bringing this to our attention.]
Folks, this just goes to show that if you can justify killing a baby in the womb, you can justify just about anything. If the following doesn't convince someone of the evil of the abortion industry, we don't know what will. Thank God the law is finally coming down on these people, but it's a shame our legal system doesn't recognize that every abortion "clinic" is indeed a "House of Horrors."
[Hat tip to a SV and IV, our fellow allies from the debate, for bringing this to our attention.]
Workers at ‘House of Horrors’ abortion clinic plead guilty to murder
Workers at ‘House of Horrors’ abortion clinic plead guilty to murder
October 26, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Two former employees of late-term abortionist Kermit Gosnell have pled guilty to 3rd degree murder charges for their roles in the deaths of an abortion patient and one baby born alive during a failed late-term abortion.This is reportedly the first time that an abortion worker has been found guilty of murder for killing a baby.
Former Gosnell employee Adrienne Moton admitted her part in the murder of one baby. Another employee, Sherry West, pled guilty for helping to drug abortion client Karanaya Mongar to death during a botched abortion. Neither women had any medical training or licensing.
The pair also pled guilty to lesser charges, including participating in a corrupt organization.
Gosnell, who ran an abortion facility in Philadelphia that has been dubbed a “House of Horrors,” has been charged with eight counts of murder, including of seven newborn babies and one client, and is awaiting trial. Moton and West may testify against his as part of their plea agreement.
According to testimony by former employees, Gosnell and his assistants killed “hundreds” of newborn babies by severing their spinal cords rather than killing them in the womb, because the abortionist was too unskilled to administer the lethal injection in utero.
After news of the conditions in the clinic broke earlier this year, “scores” of women stepped forward to tell their horror stories of forced abortions and abysmally poor care at the hands of Gosnell and his employees.
Investigators who raided the facility had found that the abortion equipment itself was broken, dirty, and rusty; downstairs, the dismembered remains of newborn and nearly-born children were stuffed into jars, bags, milk jugs, and cat food containers. Others shared space in a refrigerator-freezer with employees’ lunches.
Upon entering the building, investigators were hit by the stench of cat urine and the sight of drugged and moaning women lying on blood-stained blankets. Flea-ridden cats defecated freely on the bloodied floors.
A Grand Jury report in January detailed testimony from clinic staff who said that “killing large, late-term babies who had been observed breathing and moving was a regular occurrence” at the filthy clinic: one staffer said such events happened “hundreds” of times. Another clinic worker, Tina Baldwin, told the investigators that Gosnell once joked about a baby that was writhing as he cut its neck: “that’s what you call a chicken with its head cut off.”
That same Grand Jury report had issued scathing indictments of both the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Department of State for turning a blind eye to the clinic. The report said the government agencies had allowed the clinic to wallow in filth for years, and ignored several complaints lodged against the abortionist, while allowing his official record to remain clean.
“As disturbing as this case is, we know that what went on at Gosnell’s abortion mill is little different than what goes on at late-term abortion mills around the country,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman in response to the news.
“We look forward to a full airing of the evidence in a court of law so Americans can come face to face with the atrocity of abortion. Maybe if we finally have a public airing of the truth about what goes on inside abortion clinics, American will stop tolerating the barbaric, unnecessary, and outdated practice. This case serves as a warning to abortionists who break the law. Sooner or later you will get caught.”
Friday, October 28, 2011
Abortion "discussion" blog
http://evcfe.blogspot.com/
Two former Saline classmates (and pretty good friends) duke it out!
NB: Props to JL for writing over 50% of the pro-life side. And no, I don't mean the JL in the club; I mean the JL who's 16 years old...
Two former Saline classmates (and pretty good friends) duke it out!
NB: Props to JL for writing over 50% of the pro-life side. And no, I don't mean the JL in the club; I mean the JL who's 16 years old...
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Debate Pics!
If anyone else has other pictures from the debate, please be sure to send them to umstudentsforlife@gmail.com.
SFL and SSA debaters with the MPU Moderators |
It was a packed house! Standing room only! |
If anyone else has other pictures from the debate, please be sure to send them to umstudentsforlife@gmail.com.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
“No one on our side is for killing babies, which is essentially what abortion is”
Did I hear that right? Yes, I believe I did. Thank you, pro-choicers, for showing your true colors. How sad...
Michigan Daily coverage of our debate last night with the Secular Student Alliance:
Michigan Daily coverage of our debate last night with the Secular Student Alliance:
Students for Life and Secular Student Alliance debate abortion
Three weeks after the Center for Bio-Ethical reform held a pro-life presentation on the Diag that spurred controversy across campus, murmurs of the issue were heard again at a debate last night.In the Kuenzel Room of the Michigan Union, members of the Secular Student Alliance and Students for Life gathered to discuss the 1973 Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade — which defined abortion as legal until a fetus is “viable” — in an event hosted by the Michigan Political Union.The question of the definition of life was repeatedly contested on both sides. While the Secular Student Alliance argued that life is a continuous process with no definitive beginning, Students for Life countered with the idea that life begins at conception.“Human development begins at fertilization and does not stop at birth,” LSA sophomore Joe Lipa, a member of Students for Life, said.The discussion was heated during the 90-minute debate. Both sides expressed frustration about the complex argument concerning the definition of life and the rights of both women and fetuses.While speaking about the illegality of abortion, LSA junior Dakota Hadfield, a member of the Secular Student Alliance, hit the podium and called abortion unfair.“This is masochism being offered to you by sadists,” Hatfield yelled.Earlier in the debate, LSA sophomore Katie Dieckman, a member of the Secular Student Alliance, held up hangers and knitting needles — which she said are instruments used for abortion in countries where it’s illegal — to argue the danger of abortion alternatives.“This is the reality we are forcing if abortion becomes illegal,” said Diekman, while holding the instruments.The Secular Student Association also talked about how an overturn of the Supreme Court ruling would directly affect poverty and mortality rates and unfairly penalize women and doctors.LSA junior Anna Paone of Students for Life said there are ways to support women’s rights without harming others.“Feminine empowerment does not mean killing unborn women,” Paone said.Throughout the debate, members of Students for Life held steadfast in their beliefs of the rights of the dependent unborn over those of the mother, while the Secular Student Alliance stayed constant in their views of the mother’s right to choose.“Our rights end when someone else’s begins,” LSA senior Elise Aikman, a Students for Life representative, said.LSA sophomore Sahana Prasad of the Secular Student Alliance, countered: “(Abortion is) depriving the fetus use of the body … which the fetus has no right to in the first place,”In an interview before the event,student Andrew Patton, a member of Students for Life, said he saw the debate as an opportunity for students to see the principles of his group. Rackham Graduate School “I think people make the mistake that the decision to be pro-life is irrational,” Patton said.Though there were criticisms voiced during the debate, Public Policy junior Michael Jacobson, a Secular Student Alliance representative, proposed that the two groups work together to address the roots of abortion. Unplanned pregnancy and alternatives to abortion were proposed to be the focus of future conversation.“No one on our side is for killing babies, which is essentially what abortion is,” Diekman said. [But killing babies should be allowed to remain legal???]
Friday, October 21, 2011
Pro-Life Heroes
Rest in peace, Stacy. This heroic act will be remembered always. http://www.catholic.org/hf/family/story.php?id=43333
Monday, October 17, 2011
Oh, the joys of the Michigan Daily online combox!
We usually don't recommend reading the comments on MichiganDaily.com. But this one targeting our president was too good to pass up...
Yeah, Carmen, how dare you call pro-choice advocates Nazis!
Seriously?
Now, in order that the reader may retain at least some of his confidence in "the leaders and best," we feel obliged to publish the following, out of the same combox.
Submitted by S.A. Tee (not verified) on October 14, 2011 - 6:55am.
@ Carmen: Thanks for your "broken condom" statement.
You once again make it clear that your lunatic group would call women ( or couples) "nazis " because they had the good sense to realize that they might be unprepared to responsibly raise a child for any number of good reasons ...including the good of the potential child.... just because of an accident with defective latex.
With that kind of reasoning ( and your equally stupid tactics)how did you and your loudmouthed collaborators get into a supposedly elite school??
Yeah, Carmen, how dare you call pro-choice advocates Nazis!
Seriously?
Now, in order that the reader may retain at least some of his confidence in "the leaders and best," we feel obliged to publish the following, out of the same combox.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on October 17, 2011 - 9:48am.
Thank you, Anon, for your oasis of sanity amidst a desert wasteland of critical thinking.To me the pro-life pro-choice debate comes down to the basic question: is an unborn fetus a human, a life? If you don't believe it is a life or human then pro-choice makes sense to me. The thing is that that fetus has a heartbeat and anything with a beating heart is a life to me and killing a life is murder so pro-choice just can't make sense to me. I'm not saying that I don't feel for these women who choose to terminate their pregnancy. I am not ready to have a baby and if I got pregnant right now, honestly abortion would cross my mind. It's an out an end but when I think about that baby inside and the potential, the future that is being taken I just don't know if I could do it.
SFL response to latest Daily criticism
Remember the Michigan Daily op-ed entitled "Abortion is not Genocide?" Well, here's our reply: [hat tip: Carmen Allen, SFL president]
Letter to the Editor: Students for Life stand up for the rights of the unborn
Students for Life is a social justice group. Not political. Not religious. We’re here to confront a social justice issue that would otherwise remain disregarded on campus.If, as Daniel Chardell claims in his column (Abortion is not genocide, 10/11/2011), he spent nearly two hours on the Diag, he would have heard our justification for the dehumanization-based parallel between the unborn and Holocaust victims. And if Chardell had spent a portion of that time perusing the display, he would have read one panel that said, “Comparable is not identical.” Abortion’s existence today is due largely to ignorance, not the shoveling of the innocent into gas chambers. Certainly the millions of deaths in each case deserve equal attention, but while pro-choice advocates aren’t ending the mass extermination, they are not Nazis.
Chardell assumes that Students for Life does not understand the “much larger societal issue” of unwanted pregnancies. We beg to differ. The central problem isn’t that unplanned pregnancies are occurring but that we’re cultivating a culture in which we’ll sacrifice a human life to make ours more convenient. Sure, we could devote all our time and resources to prevention, but then who will advocate for the unborn? Something still won’t change: The unborn still won’t have rights, society still won’t care and innocent lives still will be sacrificed when the condom breaks. Minimizing abortion isn’t ending it altogether.
So excuse us for our radical idea that the life created from a broken condom still has the same value as the millions lost before it. Students for Life doesn’t care what you do with your sex life. You can sleep with whomever you want, whenever you want, however you want — until a third person enters the picture. And, yes, we’re the same radicals who at that point expect you to take responsibility for procreation.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Lil Wayne's AWESOME Video
PRO-LIFE. MOVIES. What more do I need to say?
I love movies. Correct me if I'm assuming here (I'm not.) but I believe we all kind of LOVE entertainment. We'll shell out 10 (14!!!) bucks to go see something like Cowboys and Aliens or the latest Seth Rogan flick. Usually, the movies are pretty funny and occasionally they're good. If you're a total nerd like me, you end up over-analyzing whatever you just watched, which brings me to the actual point of this post: How often do we watch something GOOD? I'm not talking about "two thumbs up good", people, but Good with a capital G? Something that's life affirming and substantial? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say not often, especially as Hollywood is like the mecca of the Culture of Death. On crack. But there's good news! This is CHANGING! People are starting to create awesome movies like Bella and The Human Experience that are beautiful and challenging. Another movie, October Baby, is going to be coming out soon. I won't go into the plot of the movie, as you can just watch the trailer, but I believe this is going to be good. Not having a 1.2 billion dollar budget, the film looks a little rough, but I think that it's going to make us think and feel and realize something in the way that only a movie about the affects of abortion can. So give it a watch, people, and get your Hamiltons ready, because even if you're not into the fantastic, thought provoking, independent, brave films like this, you can't be against 10% of the proceeds going to crisis pregnancy centers.
SFL veteran discusses 40DFL on Ave Maria Radio!
This morning recently-graduated and longtime SFL member Jeff Brown was a guest on Ave Maria Radio's Catholic Connection, hosted by nationally-known syndicated talk show host Teresa Tomeo. Jeff appeared along with 40 Days for Life's Ann Arbor campaign coordinator Paul Dobrowolski to talk about 40DFL and the experience vigiling at Planned Parenthood.
You can listen to a recording of the show here. Jeff and Paul come in at the spot indicated in the graphic below. Congratulations to them both!
You can listen to a recording of the show here. Jeff and Paul come in at the spot indicated in the graphic below. Congratulations to them both!
Daily editorial slams GAP, SFL: "Abortion is not genocide"
It appears that an entire week after SFL hosted the Genocide Awareness Project on the Diag, the nerve touched off by by the display is still shooting.
In light of this editorial, it would seem opportune to link to the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform's 14-page research essay entitled "Why Abortion Is Genocide."
From The Michigan Daily, with our emphasis and [comments].
In light of this editorial, it would seem opportune to link to the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform's 14-page research essay entitled "Why Abortion Is Genocide."
From The Michigan Daily, with our emphasis and [comments].
Now, to give the author some credit, his piece is very well-written and (at least relative to some of the other op-eds) fairly respectful. However, we do not believe his arguments hold water, especially when compared to this.Before I get to the spectacle that was the two daylong abortion-is-genocide extravaganza held on the Diag last week, let’s talk about the importance of the words we choose.The word “genocide” is a relatively recent construct, drawing from the Greek genos for “race, kind” and the Latin -cide for “killer.” [So genocide = "race-killer" or "kind-killer." And what kind of people are the unborn? Exactly that, unborn! So, whether the author recognizes it or not, the word "genocide" can most certaintly apply to the unborn, etymologically speaking.]We owe many thanks to a man named Raphael Lemkin for coining this term and, more importantly, for his pioneering advocacy of international legislation to address and prevent it. As a Polish Jew and scholar of international law, Lemkin’s studies assumed much more personal significance when he witnessed Hitler invade, demonize his religion and murder his family on the grounds of a twisted theory of racial superiority. Poland Surviving World War II, Lemkin emerged as a leading proponent of a legally binding international agreement prohibiting genocide. In 1948 the nascent United Nations unanimously adopted the landmark Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide — the product of Lemkin’s activism and a triumph for untold millions of victims.Labeling abortion “genocide” is wrong. [How dare you impose your view of correctness on me!] That’s not my opinion — it’s etymological fact. [?] Lemkin arrived at the term genocide precisely because its roots, genos and -cide, capture the nature of the events that he sought to illustrate: the purposeful extermination of an ethnic group. In Lemkin’s lifetime, this meant Armenians and Jews. Over the next several decades, that list of victims would tragically come to include Muslims inBosnia , Tutsis in, East Timorese under Indonesian occupation and other groups victimized for their shared heritage, common social identity or expressed beliefs. Sorry, but fetuses don’t qualify. [??? This is EXACTLY the mentality that allowed these genocides to happen in the first place. I'm sure Hitler would have said Jews "don't qualify." I'm sure racists would have said blacks "don't qualify." Mr. Chardell, however narrowly you want to define the word "genocide," it doesn't change the fact that thousands of unborn humans of ALL RACES are being killed every day by abortion.] Rwanda The pro-life supporters on the Diag were only aware of the historical implications of the word “genocide” in the most superficial and distorted ways. I say this not as a liberal (which I am) who disagrees with their extreme political [Actually, we're a social justice group.] stance (which I do), but as someone who stood on the Diag for nearly two hours speaking with the event’s organizers as I tried to figure out how they could possibly justify equating abortion with Nazism.Needless to say, I wasn’t convinced. [Oculos habent, et non videbunt. Aures habent, et non audient...]After telling the activists on the Diag that I’m Jewish, I asked if my being pro-choice meant that I’m the contemporary equivalent of a Nazi. “No,” they said, “of course not!” Why, then, were there pictures of aborted fetuses placed alongside photographs of emaciated Jews? Why was there a swastika strategically placed at the top of a sign reading, “Can you connect the dots?” Why, Students for Life, was this sensationalist scare tactic the best way to convey your pro-life message? Suggesting that your peers are complicit in genocide isn’t exactly the best way to start what Michigan Daily columnist Harsha Nahata aptly calls “meaningful debates.” [Mr. Chardell, I don't recall seeing you at our post-GAP forum.] Last week’s display was anything but meaningful. It was insulting — no matter how you spin it.Carmen Allen, president of Students for Life, defends her organization’s decision to bring the Genocide Awareness Project to campus by claiming that students at the University are apathetic toward the issue of abortion. That’s a valid point.But you know what else students are apathetic about? The socioeconomic inequalities and campaigns of misinformation that exacerbate the number of unwanted pregnancies in the. One of the representatives from the Genocide Awareness Project tried to convince me that abstinence should be taught as the best way to minimize unwanted pregnancies. If teenagers didn’t have hormones, that might be true. [Mr. Chardell, just what did happen in 1973 that all of a sudden gave teenagers hormones? We'd be very interested in knowing.] But let’s take a look at the facts. United States Texas Gov. Rick Perry champions abstinence-only sex education. According to a 2009 study issued by the Texas Freedom Network, 94 percent ofschool districts give students no sex education beyond abstinence. How well has abstinence-only sex ed worked? The Guttmacher Institute reported in 2010 that Texas has the highest teen birth rate [Maybe this is because Texans are less inclined towards abortion?] and the fourth-highest teen pregnancy rate in the country. [And what types of sex ed are the first, second, and third-highest states using?] Clearly, Mr. Perry, the young people of Texas aren’t buying it. Texas This matters. Let’s get at the source of the problem — unwanted pregnancies. Unfortunately, Students for Life doesn’t seem to understand that abortion is the consequence of a much larger societal issue — one that’s perpetuated by extreme right-wing [One of the nice things about being a social justice group is that we're free from the baggage that comes with political labels. I'll have Mr. Chardell know that we have both Democrats and Republicans in our club, as well as independents.] politicians who are all too eager to pander to their base and unjustifiably defund Planned Parenthood.(By the way, only 3 percent of Planned Parenthood’s services are abortion-related.) Rather than draw attention to underlying social issues and the failures of abstinence-only sex ed, Students for Life has resorted to an easier approach: calling anyone with whom they disagree a Nazi.Students for Life, you’re contributing directly to the erosion of our discourse (and your own credibility) by giving a platform to a reactionary, fear-mongering, historically insensitive group that’s willing to exploit and cheapen genocide for the sake of its own highly politicized [?] cause. You’re free to invite whoever you’d like to campus. That’s a right to which you’re entitled. [Some would not agree.] But don’t sacrifice decency for shock value.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
SFL's official response to GAP critics
After a half-dozen Michigan Daily editorials and Letters to the Editor criticizing SFL for bringing the Genocide Awareness Project to campus, now it's our turn!
From the Michigan Daily, 10/7:
From the Michigan Daily, 10/7:
In response to the outcry against the Genocide Awareness Project, Students for Life would like to explain our reasons for bringing such a graphic display to the Diag instead of “creating dialogue” in a more peaceful manner.
Over the past few years, we’ve reached out to pro-choice advocates on campus in an attempt to engage in dialogue about the abortion debate. Last spring, we even brought in a pro-life apologist and invited myriad faculty members in women’s studies and philosophy to represent the pro-choice side. We asked every major pro-choice group on campus to come debate us — heck, to come hold a forum with us — but each group refused without even working with us to modify the event to something which both our organizations could agree.
We’ve tabled. We’ve passed out flyers. We’ve brought in speakers. No one would listen, and no one would talk about it — until Monday. Sure, the display inconvenienced you on the way to class, but it forced thousands of students to start thinking about, and even talking about an issue so important to us that we’ll tolerate the hatred of 40,000 people.
Certainly we’d rather stop the 3,300 abortions per day (a conservative number as reported by the Guttmacher Institute) and keep our friends through roundtable discussion, but when we view each abortion as the death of a unique human being, you can understand the urgency of our message. No event held in the Michigan League could have generated as much talk about the subject as the Diag display, so we’ll applaud ourselves for breaking the silence, remind the student body of the resource table we held for pregnant and post-pregnant women and invite any group or any individual out there to engage in some straight talk and real discussion with us.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Great dialogue from both sides at GAP Forum!
At 7pm tonight in the Palmer Commons, pro-lifers and pro-choicers at the University of Michigan put aside their respective differences and began a calm discussion regarding the appropriateness, motives, and presentation of the Genocide Awareness Project recently displayed on the Diag.
By 8:30 both sides were joking and laughing together.
Don't think for a moment that they came to an agreement regarding the fundamental question of when life begins. But also don't think for a moment that the post-GAP public forum was a waste of time. For in those 90 minutes, both sides began to understand each other at a level likely unprecedented in the history of the abortion debate at the University. While large divergences of opinion undoubtedly still exist, both sides came to acknowledge the legitimacy of each other's approach and concerns relative to their respective goals. Most importantly, both sides realized the importance dialogue, of coming together to discuss these differences in a mutually respectful and amicable way.
This is what a university is all about. Is it not reasonable that college students--and society at large, for that matter--should think and talk about the issues that matter most to them?
SFL kudos to everyone who participated!
By 8:30 both sides were joking and laughing together.
Don't think for a moment that they came to an agreement regarding the fundamental question of when life begins. But also don't think for a moment that the post-GAP public forum was a waste of time. For in those 90 minutes, both sides began to understand each other at a level likely unprecedented in the history of the abortion debate at the University. While large divergences of opinion undoubtedly still exist, both sides came to acknowledge the legitimacy of each other's approach and concerns relative to their respective goals. Most importantly, both sides realized the importance dialogue, of coming together to discuss these differences in a mutually respectful and amicable way.
This is what a university is all about. Is it not reasonable that college students--and society at large, for that matter--should think and talk about the issues that matter most to them?
SFL kudos to everyone who participated!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
BREAKING: GAP display an "act of hate crime"...
We hate women because we try to prevent them from being killed inside the womb and physically, emotionally, and spiritually scarred outside of the womb through abortion. But, remember, dismembering pre-born humans is not hate, but "choice." Follow the logic?
Apparently, some people think we shouldn't have the "choice" to exercise our freedom of speech either.
From a letter to the editor to the Michigan Daily with our emphasis and comments:
Apparently, some people think we shouldn't have the "choice" to exercise our freedom of speech either.
From a letter to the editor to the Michigan Daily with our emphasis and comments:
To the University of Michigan:
To be quite frank, I am disappointed in my college for the first time since visiting the University about seven years ago.
I, and every student at this great school, understand the importance of freedom of speech and the right to peacefully assemble — specifically on the Diag here at the University. This exercise of the First Amendment on the center of the University is what makes Michigan special [unless of couse you disagree with the message being presented].
However, while members of the Genocide Awareness Project cloaked themselves in their right of exercising free speech, their display was an act of hate crime — a hate crime against the families and friends of victims of the Holocaust, slavery, refugees from the genocides in Cambodia, Darfur and Rwanda. [And against the 50 million victims of abortion?]Not only did members of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform — which brought the GAP to campus — show hate toward racial, ethnic and religious groups, they demonstrated hate toward women. Essentially, to compare the mass murders of people to abortion indicated that they view all women who are pro-choice as murderers. I am appalled that the University, one of the most open-minded places I could ever imagine, allowed the act of hate crimes to appear on campus for not just one, but two days. [Apparently, being "open-minded" means being close-minded to all ideas that are not one's own.] I can't even understand why one of the University's student organizations would think to invite such a thing to the campus.
Aside from this, a member of the center at one point actually insulted the demographic it targeted — a.k.a. students themselves — by refuting an individual student's argument with the statement, "You're a college student. You can't understand."
No one, pro-life or pro-choice, should ever condone this "project." Ever. Especially one of the most diverse universities in the world. [diverse, adj--"Showing a great deal of variety" Word choice?]
GAP and the 1st Amendment: ACLU undergrad group members show mild support
Yet another Michigan Daily letter to the editor:
Monday’s article in The Michigan Daily (Pro-Life group displays controversial images on Diag, 10/4/2011) showed that many students reacted to the enormous and graphic images of aborted fetuses with outrage and disgust, questioning why the University even allowed such a display by the Center for Bio-ethical Reform and Students for Life. The First Amendment empowers and encourages a critical and constructive response to the shocking protests on our campus.
The First Amendment necessarily and intentionally protects even the most abhorrent speech in order to protect the free expression of all individuals in our society. If government laws or University rules are used to silence the speech of one group, they can be used — and have been used throughout our nation’s history — to silence any speech found objectionable.
Still, as important as it is to maintain our commitment to free speech, it is imperative to realize that such blatant attacks on women’s rights are aimed primarily to instill fear and guilt in those confronted with reproductive decisions. We must stand by our commitment to free speech while continuing our dedication to the protection and advancement of reproductive freedom.
It is undeniable that this week's incendiary pro-life demonstration facilitated a vibrant community discourse; our campus is freshly abuzz with discussion of both free speech and abortion rights. In order for our University to remain a dynamic community that promotes a free exchange of ideas, the Diag and its other public spaces must remain open forums. If the Diag is to be a place for any dialogue, it must be place for all dialogue, no matter how unpopular or disturbing. Our response to the hateful speech ever-frequent on our campus must be a re-dedication to these constitutional rights that are threatened.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
GAP here! (And already getting media attention!)
From the front page of the Michigan Daily! All in all, a very fair article. (Hey, they even used "pro-life" instead of the usual "anti-choice" or "anti-abortion" mainstream media tags!)
Pro-life group displays controversial images on Diag
Large signs warned passersby entering the Diag yesterday that graphic images were up ahead.
The images were part of a day long photo exhibit of the Genocide Awareness Project that displayed photos of aborted fetuses next to images of Holocaust victims, the genocide inDarfur and a lynching of an African American person. The project is an effort of the California-based Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, and the campus organization Students for Life reserved the space on the Diag for the exhibit.A truck bearing images of aborted fetuses also circled Central Campus throughout the day. In an interview on the Diag yesterday, Darius Hardwick, regional director for the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, said the exhibit makes a relevant connection between genocide and abortion.“The basic comparison of the similarity between abortion and (the) Holocaust is lots of dead victims,” Hardwick said. “There (are) lots of other comparisons — like you have to dehumanize a victim before you can kill them, and that was done in the Holocaust.”The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform brings the exhibit to different places throughout the country, mainly to college campuses, according to Hardwick.“It is the prime demographic of people having abortions,” Hardwick said.He added that college campuses are also better suited for the organization’s exhibits because there are fewer children present. While some students expressed concern regarding the graphic nature of the exhibit’s photos, Hardwick said the shock value of the photos is justified.“The only reason our display is so graphic is because abortion is so graphic,” Hardwick said. “If you don’t like these pictures, then maybe you shouldn’t like abortion.”LSA junior Carmen Allen, president of Students for Life, said the organization asked the Genocide Awareness Project to come to campus because many students here aren’t concerned about abortions.“I think that theis the subject of a lot of apathy on campus that we have labeled tolerance,” Allen said. “I think that abortion is an issue that has really fallen under that apathy. The only thing that can really shake up this campus is to see what’s going on through the graphic image.” University ofMichigan Allen said she didn’t think the pictures are unnecessarily graphic.“This is exactly what’s happening,” she said. “I think that we have the right to our constitutional freedom of speech … It’s important for people to be aware of what’s going on.”LSA junior Anna Paone, vice president of Students for Life, said she was initially concerned about the graphic nature of the photos that the organization brought to campus.“At first I didn’t agree,” Paone said. “At first I thought this was too bold, and I thought it would offend too many people to be useful.”But she said she has since decided that the images are necessary to challenge people’s opinions about abortion.“I think that sometimes you need to go bold, and you need to have images,” Paone said.She added that she thinks the exhibit makes an accurate comparison of abortion to genocide.“Our fundamental argument is that the fetus is a human,” Paone said. “If the fetus is a human, it is an accurate comparison.”Students for Life contacted the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform and brought its members to campus for a similar event in 2000, according to Paone.The campus group also had a booth on the Diag yesterday dispensing information for women who may be considering abortion and set up a “Free Speech” board on which students could write their opinions about various issues.LSA senior Rachel Fentin, co-president of Students for Choice, said the campus organization tried to prevent the Genocide Awareness Project from coming to the University."We had concern for the students on campus who are going to be walking through that have experienced abortion, who have family members that have had abortions or (had) family members that were in the Holocaust,” Fentin said in an interview on the Diag.She added that students representing Students for Choice gathered on the Diag to oppose the exhibit.“It’s their freedom of speech, so we’re exercising our right to free speech and reminding people that there is an alternative narrative to this,” said Fentin, who added that the Genocide Awareness Project was using “scare tactics.”LSA freshman Annie Bauer-Levey said the photos repulsed her and are too graphic for students walking through the Diag.“I think it’s ridiculous that they’re comparing abortion to genocide,” Bauer-Levey said.Engineering freshman Reed Lillie described the exhibit as “shocking” but said he understands the group’s use of the images.“It gets the point across that they’re trying to make that abortion isn’t a pretty thing,” Lillie said.
SFL partial-birth response published in the Daily
At long last, our official response to the Michigan Daily's disgusting editorial on partial birth abortion was published! The long delay turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as our letter to the editor came out on the perfect day. (Why? If you passed by the Diag today between 9-5pm, you already know...)
You can read our letter in it's entirety below. As you could probably guess, it has generated quite the response in the Daily's online combox!
You can read our letter in it's entirety below. As you could probably guess, it has generated quite the response in the Daily's online combox!
The Michigan Daily’s editorial that ran Monday, Sept. 26 takes the position that the death penalty has no place in civilized society (From the Daily: A fatal penalty, 9/25/2011). But the very next day, the same space on the page states, partial-birth abortion is a personal decision (From the Daily: The right to choose, (9/26/2011). We at Students for Life find it hard to take the position on capital punishment credibly with the Daily advocating against a ban on partial-birth abortion. It is unreasonable to ask the United States and the 34 states with capital punishment to abolish it for the sake of preserving the lives of those found guilty in court, while one does not oppose the taking of life from those who have committed no crime at all.
Given how many people wrongly convicted and sentenced to death have had their innocence proven by DNA, it seems fundamentally inconsistent on human rights to forcibly end someone’s life when his or her unique DNA proves he or she is a living human being who has committed no crime. How can the editorial disregard such a basic scientific fact and state that the unborn is part of a woman’s body when it does not have her DNA, much less heart beat, brain waves and sometimes blood type? The ignorance is astounding.
Students for Life as a club is also opposed to the death penalty. However, we assert that it is self-evident the guilty cannot have a greater right to life than the innocent. Additionally, it is far less inhumane to kill someone by lethal injection than cutting open their skull and vacuuming out their brain. Individual liberty should never be subject to anyone’s choice or personal preferences. Ultimately, we believe the Daily conveys the height of hypocrisy by seeking to abolish the death penalty while refusing to even condemn abortion.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Michigan Daily criticizes statewide ban of partial-birth abortion...and SFL response
From The Michigan Daily staff editorial, Sept. 25, with our emphasis and comments.
Partial-birth abortion has been a morally controversial topic. With the passage of a new bill in the Michigan state legislature, partial-birth abortions are now illegal by state law, on top of the federal ban already in place by the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 passed by the U.S. Congress. If the state legislation is enacted, performing a partial-birth abortion would be a two-year felony. While partial-birth abortion is a difficult subject, the reality is that women should have the right to decide what to do with their bodies [But...it's not "their bodies." It's their child's body]. The state ban is redundant given the federal ban already in place. But more importantly, the government shouldn't interfere in private, individual decisions.
Partial-birth abortion is a complicated procedure that involves the death of a fetus after the second trimester. [So they actually admit that something dies. Maybe, just maybe, we should make sure that what we're killing isn't an innocent human person with the intrinsic right to life!] The procedure was performed in less than 2 percent of abortions, according to 1999 data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. While partial birth abortions are a complicated issue from a moral standpoint, the larger issue is the government’s restriction of individual rights.
The recent bill, which will head to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk after the conference committee has reviewed it, models the federal law and makes the procedure punishable under state law. Since the law was upheld in the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision Gonzales v. Carhart, there's no reason to believe it will be repealed any time soon.
Taking time to pass state legislation that reaffirms a federal law is an insult to Michigan citizens [?]. Instead of focusing on bills to create jobs and help rebuild the state’s economy, the Legislature is focusing on prohibiting an already banned procedure. If there was evidence that partial-birth abortions were performed in large numbers throughout the state this legislation would be somewhat explicable, but partial-birth abortion procedures are rare. The state government is unnecessarily pushing a social issue, and it needs to focus its attention on Michigan’s more pressing concerns. [What could be more pressing than stopping the slaughter of innocent human beings???]
The legality of abortion indicates the constitutional support for a woman’s right to choose. [To what? Michigan Daily, please fill in the blank!] Partial-birth abortions is a contentious topic, but it’s not up to the government to permit or prohibit the procedure. [This is ridiculous. Then just what is the government's role? If "it's not up to the government to permit or prohibit" murder, then just what can the government do? Certainly not fix the economy, as the Daily would like to have it do instead.] Women should speak with doctors and other health professionals to make an appropriate, personal decision. By speaking with a doctor, they can educate themselves on the health implications of the procedure and make a responsible personal choice. [Choice...there's that buzzword again.]
The argument isn't about the moral implications of abortion. Rather, it’s about government intervention in personal decisions. A woman should have the right to make her own decisions about her body and an unborn child she may bare. [Ladies and Gentlemen: There you have it. The Daily admits abortion kills a child. But this "decision" should be legal. Follow the logic?] In today’s economic climate, Michigan doesn't have the luxury to spend time and resources on partisan, social policies. Snyder should reaffirm his commitment to tackling the state’s pressing issues and veto this bill.This is disgusting. We've prepared an official response, which we shall make public shortly. Stay tuned...
Monday, September 26, 2011
Support SFL via Paypal!
We have just set up a PayPal account to allow us to receive credit card donations through our website. With GAP just around the corner, this development is very timely! Please check it out, regardless of whether or not you're able to contribute.
http://www.umich.edu/~umsfl/support.html
http://www.umich.edu/~umsfl/support.html
How can you help?
Every dollar counts! By donating, you can help us:- Host events
- Bring in guest speakers
- Provide resources for pregnant women
- Support local crisis pregnancy centers
- Fund publicity campaigns on campus
- Attend the March for Life in Washington, D.C.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
MSA Tailgate Cleanup Adventure!
Or, what happened to us last Saturday, right before the Notre Dame game:
It wasn’t until we were walking back towards the stadium that it sank in: somehow, our group always finds the adventure in the most quotidian circumstances. What started out as an attempt to make some much-needed money for our group turned into a creative, last-minute fundraiser that found us “SFL’evangelizing” on the streets of South Campus.
It began with the MSA tailgate. MSA selected us, much to our happiness and surprise, to clean up after their tailgate, a special event that coincided with the first night game at Michigan Stadium. Maybe cleaning up after a large campus event doesn’t sound like that much fun, but it was an excellent opportunity for us to make some extra cash and get to know a couple of MSA officers (diplomacy is always good!). And with a sizable group of our membership present, the work went fast. Those of us who arrived early enough even caught the end of the free pizza!
One of our duties involved loading a minivan with some of MSA’s supplies and then meeting MSA’s president and vice-president at the Union to unload. Along the way, the MSA program director asked us to throw out four large boxes of doughnuts. However, the doughnuts were still good and we wondered if we could sell them (credit for this idea goes to Anthony Salem, by the way). So as the rest of us hiked up to the Union, Anthony took the doughnuts and began selling them on the corner of Hill and S. Divison. Or, rather, he “sold” them for free, and then asked for a donation. Hungry fans and latecomers were grateful for the unexpected treat.
Of course, most SFL stories (the good ones, at least) include a part where we explain our position to a curious passer-by (and sometimes an aggressive passer-by). This story is no different, and we had the opportunity to explain our cause to would-be doughnut-buyers. While we didn’t sell anywhere close to all of the doughnuts (there were a lot!), we made about $15 extra, and those of us who had tickets made it to the game before it was too late. And we were glad we did. As the sky grew darker overhead, Wolverine hopes waxed and waned until we were ultimately party to one of the most dazzling victories in recent memory.
It was the perfect ending to the the most SFL-esque day.
Monday, September 12, 2011
MSA Gets Help, SFL Gets Cash, U-M Gets Win--All in one night!
Stay tuned to hear about an incredible Saturday night. Yes, the Wolverines won in dramatic fashion. But, believe it or not, that was only the concluding exclamation mark on SFL's extraordinary profitable day...
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Save at Planned Parenthood! and 40 DFL News
From Paul, Ann Arbor 40 Days for Life Campaign Director, comes this wonderful news:
Fellow Prayer Warriors,
Please read our little report of the save that occurred at Planned Parenthood Ann Arbor yesterday, Sept. 1st. Our presence truly makes a difference to the lives of human beings in the womb of mothers contemplating abortion. Continue to pray for this young Mom who chose to keep her child.From Iris, Sally and Paul1 September 2011
My mom and I pray at the abortion mill every Thursday from 10am to 11am. On 1 September, we were together there as usual. My mom had a large black sign with white letters that reads "I’m praying for you and your baby, it’s not too late to change your mind." We park our car on the right side of the street just before the entrance of the parking lot to Planned Parenthood, open the back hatch and display the sign in the back of our vehicle. My mom stands on the opposite side of the street praying while I pray at the entrance to the parking lot near the "No Outlet" sign and try to hand out literature . Bernie, the security guard for Planned Parenthood, sits in a chair near me to try and discourage any people from stopping to talk to me or take literature.On this particular day one of the cars that accepted a pro-life newspaper and pregnancy help information had two women in it. I thought that maybe it was a mother and her teen aged daughter. I handed out the newspaper and they stopped and rolled down the window to take it. I said "thank you, have a wonderful day." They drove into the parking lot and went into the clinic. A short time later they came out and drove out of the parking lot waving as they went by. Around 20 minutes later they returned and not recognizing the car at first I held out a paper again. They stopped and told me I had already given them one, and thanked me. Again they went into the clinic and then came out and sat in their car. My mom was trying to reach out to a couple who we believed to be waiting for their turn to have an abortion and she got the sign out of our vehicle and stood facing the clinic holding the sign up.At this time, Iris and Sally's shift was over and Paul arrived to relieve them. Sally gave an update on what was happening and Paul began praying and sidewalk counseling at the No-Outlet sign to better reach the clients entering and leaving the clinic. I noticed the car with two people in it and waved to them a few times when they looked over. After 30 minutes or so, after reaching out verbally to other clients as they were leaving or entering, I walked across the street holding my Knights of Columbus DEFEND LIFE sign to show to a woman who was talking on her cell phone at the entrance to the abortion clinic. I also showed it to the women in the car who obviously looked over to read the sign. I walked back to my spot and after a few minutes, the car with the two women is leaving the PP parking lot and as they are driving by, the young woman driving shouts out of her window, "I decided not to do it!" I asked "do what, have the abortion?" And she says "yes!!" I could only say happily, That is great news!!"Bernie laughs it off, saying that she has been here all morning and her friend is having an abortion who is inside right now. Typical discouraging comments from him (please pray for his conversion). It took a while to comprehend what just happened. After I got back to work, I realized that the Holy Spirit worked through Sally, Iris and I to reach an abortion minded woman. The Holy Spirit then worked the true miracle of changing the heart of that woman to allow her to choose to keep her baby. Praise the Lord!!40 Days for Life News
- With the Ann Arbor 40 Days for Life Campaign set for Sept. 28 through November 6, I urge you all to allow the Holy Spirit to work through you by signing up to pray at the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic at 3100 Professional Dr. in Ann Arbor. Go to www.40daysforlife.com/annarbor and hit the Vigil Schedule tab. We are trying to have someone praying at the site during PP's business hours Monday through Saturday, 9 AM to 7 PM. Prayer during the other hours are also important to cover since any prayer helps favor our side in this spiritual battle that is going on at the abortion clinic.
- Please mark your calendars to attend the 40 Days for Life Kick-Off rally, Monday, September 26, 7 PM at Christ the King Community Center. More details to follow.
- Come out to the abortion clinic before Sept. 28 to pray to end the 2300 abortions that are committed at the Ann Arbor PP clinic every year. You never know how the Holy Spirit can use you to save human lives.
Finally, please read Abby Johnson's recent article from LifeNews.com about her experiences in the abortion clinic at this link http://www.lifenews.com/2011/09/02/abby-johnson-recalls-planned-parenthood-alarm-was-2229-baby/ and pray for those working in the Ann Arbor PP abortion clinic.Also check out the 14 minute video from National 40 DFL where another ex-PP worker speaks about her conversion away from the abortion business http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2224 .I hope you all will take some part in this Fall's largest 40 Days for Life Campaign ever (291 cities). WE NEED YOUR HELP to put an end to the 2300 abortions/year committed at Planned Parenthood's Ann Arbor abortion clinic.God Bless you and your Pro-Life work!Paul
Friday, September 2, 2011
Escapade 2011!
We assure you, SFL has female members too!
The Fall 2011 edition of Students for Life is officially under way! Last night, SFL once again participated in Escapade, the University's self-described "biggest welcome back party." The event--which boasts free food, live music, and thousands of attendees--is geared especially toward acquainting freshmen with their new campus. Along with the other student organizations, SFL had an informational table in the Union basement. Starting at 7pm and for the next four hours, we displayed our club's promotional billboard, handed out fetal development self-quizzes, and engaged with as many other students as possible. The goal was simple, and by no means unique to our club--get the names and e-mails of as many freshmen as possible!
Let me tell you, the art of recruiting potential new club members is always far from an exact science. Here, the freshmen-dominated crowds contributed to an atmosphere of simultaneous enthusiasm and timidity, orderliness and confusion. Attentive to the delicate balance between the necessary assertiveness and the off-putting overinformality when engaging strangers, we set to work filling up the lines in our clipboard-backed sign-up sheets. After an hour or so, most of us had automatically developed a sort of mental script for conveying the basic details about the club. My conversations, for example, often went something like this:
[Random freshman walks by]Me: Excuse me, are you interested in Students for Life?RF: Huh? What's that?Me: We are the pro-life group on campus. [slight pause] Would you consider yourself...[ever so slight of a pause, trying to look as nonthreatening as possible]...pro-life? [watch reaction on face]RF: Err...Ummm...Yeah. I guess so.Me: Great! [handing clipboard and pen] Our first mass meeting is on Monday, September 12 at 7pm, but you don't have to remember that 'cuz we'll be sending you an e-mail with all the details in it. In the meantime you can take our fun little fetal development quiz. [trade clipboard for half-sheet quiz]RF: OK. Thanks.Me: Sure. It was nice meeting you...[glancing down at clipboard]...Suzie.RF: You too. Wait...how did you know my name?Me: Uhh...I...[sheepishly]...looked at the clipboard...I'm Joe, by the way.RF: Oh, OK. Nice to meet you.Me: [mental note never to do that again]
Too forward, right? Especially the pro-life inquiry. That's a personal question, a definite no-no when talking to strangers. Or is it?
OK...I'll admit the whole clipboard incident was pretty clumsy. But that was just me; the other SFLers were much smoother while retaining a very similar approach.
In all seriousness, I think our approach worked very well. Yes, asking complete strangers whether or not they're pro-life is quite bold, but I'd be willing to bet it was more uncomfortable for us as the questioners than for them as the respondents. In any event, it allowed us to "cut to the chase" and immediately assess the interest level of a given individual. If someone was pro-choice and not at all interested in the club, a response in the negative provided an easy and polite out. If, on the other hand, someone was pro-life, or at least mildly interested in the pro-life position, a simple affirmative answer created an instantaneous bond with the club and its purpose. Finally, it's important to remember that we asked the question only after being requested to explain what SFL is. One of the advantages of having an ambiguous club name is that people don't form judgments just by hearing it. In fact, we've even had people think that "Students for Life" is composed of people who love going to U-M so much that the want to be--literally--students for life! No joke!
All in all, we got about 50 freshmen signed up for our first informational e-mail and at least talked to about 50 more. Not too bad, especially considering we didn't get a ton of traffic in our area of the Union. Even more encouraging, though, is the number of people who identified as pro-life. I'd estimate that about 70 percent of the people we asked reported being either pro-life or leaning in that direction. So much for the Culture of Death's stereotypical stronghold at U-M! The tide really is turning, and it gives us all so much hope that this generation--our generation--will finally be the one that makes abortion unthinkable.
Finally, I have to hand it to the pro-choice and undecided students who heard us out last night. Only very rarely did we receive snide or otherwise rude comments about our club and its work. Hopefully, this tolerance and open-mindedness is a sign of things to come, and we're optimistic about the possiblity of engaging in respectful, intelligent debate with the other side throughout the year. After all, it is only by taking our message to the world--by being true missionaries for life--that others will come to know and embrace the truth of the dignity of the human person that we are both blessed to hold dear and called to spread.
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