As I was riding my bike to DuSable Hall for a morning class, I ran across some chalk art on the sidewalk announcing the time and place for a pro-abortion rally. I am “neutral” when it comes to abortion; I neither condemn nor condone it, for I have no idea what it’s like to have children… Instead, I am writing about the somewhat confusing way that they announced their rally.

First of all, I feel that their using the slogans “FREEDOM NOW!” and “LIBERATION NOW!” is a bit overdramatic. Yes, there is a chance that the Illinois State Legislature may in the near future place restrictions on Roe vs. Wade, but this alone does not warrant using the aforementioned slogans. To my knowledge, pro-choice advocates have never been used as a slave-labor force, segregated in schools, denied jobs or otherwise discriminated against. I truly think that these slogans should be saved for the students protesting the Tiananmen Square massacre, for they have legitimate human rights violations to complain about.

My other question concerns the use of the “peace symbol” in the sidewalk announcements. I doubt very much that humanity can bring about world peace by upholding Roe vs. Wade. Also, there is no encyclopedia in the world that has the word “abortion” under the entry for “peace.” Besides, the peace symbol stands for Nuclear Disarmament (the bars in the circle are senaphore for ND). Have we been aborting babies with thermonuclear devices? There’s no doubt in my mind that it would work; however, you’d end up “aborting” everything within a forty mile radius. Irradicating everything and atomizing yourself just to get rid of a fetus is definitely going to impede upon your graduation plans.

I have to admit that I’m surprised I didn’t see announcements like “abortions lower your cholesterol,” or “abortions burn off calories.” I’m not attempting to debate its practice or spiel some 400-level class theology, but making a moral/social issue into a holy crusade from God is a bit on the propoganda side of things.

Kevin Craver

Freshman

Computer science