Mechelle Hankerson
News Editor
Mark Robinson
Assistant News Editor
Thousands of students took notice of a graphic display by a national anti-abortion group featuring photos of abortion procedures and historical genocides Wednesday in VCU’s Commons Plaza.
The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform runs the Genocide Awareness Project on college campuses, which shows photos comparing historical instances of genocide to what they consider America’s contemporary genocide: abortion.
Some VCU students took offense to the group’s setup in the Commons Plaza on Wednesday, questioning not only the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform’s decision to equate abortion with genocide but also VCU administration’s allowance of the controversial group’s display on campus.
A VCU student, who wished to be referred to as Mckenna, said she saw the display when she walked to her first class.
“I have never seen anything like that in my life,” Mckenna said. “I was furious. I pay tuition to go here, and I do not think it’s appropriate to show incredibly graphic images like that.”
After seeing the display, Mckenna sent emails to the VCU Students for Life organization, which invited the Genocide Awareness Project to campus, and the Student Commons Association to object to its placement on campus.
Mckenna was not alone. Fellow student Joe Woods also decided to contact the VCU Student Commons Association to object to the Genocide Awareness Project’s display.
“I have attempted to raise my concerns with the sort of rhetoric they’re permitting on their property,” he said. “I’m just interested in hearing the logic behind why these graphic and hateful displays were permitted.”
Woods said he understands that it would be unfair for the university to deny a certain group’s demonstration, but he was still concerned about VCU’s allowance of not just offensive content, but content Woods claims is false.
Woods stood in the Plaza with a megaphone for part of the day letting anyone walking through know that the photos in the display are not how real abortions look.
As of press time, Woods had received no answer from VCU.
Another student, Troy Stanford, carried a sign that read read “pro-choice” while protesting the group’s presence.
“I can’t stand to look at it,” he said. “It makes me sick.” Stanford said he was also upset that VCU gave the space to the group.
“I think VCU should take into consideration what they allow on their campuses.”
Throughout the day, the university was also hosting tours for prospective students.
Associate vice provost for Student Affairs and Enrollment Services Charles Klink said the university does not regulate any demonstration’s content because there is no fair way to do so. If an organization abides by the time, place and manner restrictions the university has in place, its content will not be censored, he said.
“One of the hallmarks of any university campus is the legally protected right to express a variety of opinions,” Klink said. “When you have an environment where people are able to do that, certainly some perspectives are going to be offensive to others.”
Official VCU policy states “peaceful, reasonable and lawful picketing and other orderly demonstrations in approved areas shall not be subject to interference by the members of the University community,” but also that “those involved in picketing and demonstrations may not engage in conduct that violates the rights of any member of the University community.”
All other guidelines from the university address security and parking restrictions and policies.
Director of Virginia Programs for the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform Nicole W. Cooley said the Genocide Awareness Project aims to point out comparisons of abortion to genocide, but don’t believe they are exactly the same.
“There’s points of comparison; we’re not saying they’re identical,” Cooley said.
The group says that a denial of personhood, attempting to serve a higher purpose through genocide (attempting to get rid of “unwanted” children) and the use of dehumanizing language all bear a resemblance to historical genocides like the Holocaust and Rwandan Genocide.
“In genocide you see dehumanizing language to describe the victimized class … when we have a wanted preborn child … we call it a baby, if it’s not wanted, now you have a fetus, a product of conception, a glob of tissue (or) a clump of cells,” Cooley said.
Even though the group uses genocide to help explain their position, Cooley said their ultimate message is simple: “We’re saying in all cases it’s wrong to kill another human being for an arbitrary reason.”
Cooley herself had an abortion after a rape. She said she considered herself pro-choice before the incident but now could never imagine having another abortion.
“I know firsthand that abortion hurts women, and I was not educated about the truth before I had my abortion,” Cooley said. “If I had known the truth, I would not have had an abortion, and I would not have suffered in that aftermath,” Cooley said.
Cooley said she wants to change the way society views abortion to make people see abortion as not just illegal, but also unthinkable.
“I want people to think, ‘OK, I have other options other than killing my children,’ and … I want abortion to be at the bottom of the heap,” she said. “I want (people) to know the truth and (that) they can seek out crisis pregnancy centers (and) go talk to somebody first before they jump into a decision they can never take back.”
Mason Brown contributed to this story.