As the coordinator for Respect Life Ministries, senior theater major Jason Maus wants to give the campus community something to talk about.

“We wanted to open up a dialogue between the students, faculty and community about abortion,” Maus said. “It’s an issue that needs to be discussed, but instead, it tends to be argued about. We want to present what are the truthful facts because it is a very adult decision, without being volatile.”

Respect Life Ministries, which is run through the Newman Catholic Student Center, 512 Normal Road, is kicking off a week’s worth of activities today that will provide open and non-judgmental discussions on abortion and other topics.

“These events are open to everyone whether they believe in God or not,” Maus said. “Especially by the end of the week — we’re opening it up for meditation and not trying to turn people into Christians.”

Today, a presentation by Maus, entitled “Abortion & Intellectual Honesty,” will be held at 7 p.m. at the Holmes Student Center’s Heritage Room. Although he said both he and the church will speak from a pro-life standpoint, he emphasizes that the discussions will be well-balanced.

“We’re not going to be judgmental,” Maus said. “We’ll make the presentations and respond to questions because people don’t really understand the reasons behind why if people say X, others automatically say Y. We’ll see if there’s any type of rectifying to these situations.”

On Wednesday, Maus will present a transcribed video project depicting a real-life look at 15 women who have experienced pregnancy, abortion and the aftermath. Maus said the video is part of his senior project for theater.

Patricia Bainbridge, a former professor at Michigan State University and co-founder of Life Decisions International, will speak on Thursday.

“She was pro-life even before she became a Christian,” Maus said. “Abortion is one of the most controversial topics, as well as one of the most misunderstood. And abortion is a springboard for other offenses against life, into what’s called a ‘culture of death.'”

Maus said the group will leave Friday afternoon for discussion and meditation.