Spring Break
Letters to the Editor
Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Forum
Crosses in the Quad
Question for administrators
Every year the crosses come out, and every year there is controversy and arguments about the morality of abortion.
Quite frankly, I'm tired of talking about it (morality, that is).
The pro-lifers start with this display, then bring in the GAP (pictures of aborted fetuses on billboards) and have them set up in the Quad and drive back and forth in front of the grade schools around town.
The questions that come to my mind out of all of this are: Why is it that OSU allows the pro-life group to stick crosses in the lawn, but forbids the women's rights groups from tapping in tent stakes to hold up their posters? Why when the GAP comes do they use outside, paid labor instead of students? And reserve the whole Quad so NO other groups can practice free speech in response to what is being displayed?
Basically it all comes down to this question: Why does the OSU administration give special rights to the pro-life groups and restrict or punish women's rights and pro-freedom groups?
Rev. Benjamin D. Grimes Esq.
OSU Alumnus
Crosses in the Quad
A different approach
I was surprised to read your article Wednesday about the abortion protest on the MU lawn, which consisted of 3,000 crosses. I wasn't surprised that the demonstration took place (this is a fairly conservative school, after all), but I was surprised at the method they chose to stage their protest. Crosses? That doesn't seem like particularly powerful imagery to me. I mean, who cares.
"Geez, I didn't mind killing babies before, but now I see all these crosses, I'll change my heathen ways for sure!?"
You want a good idea for a protest? OSU Right to Life should steal a page from the book of those Irish political prisoners from 1981 who actually starved themselves to death for their political cause. Bobby Sands survived for 66 days without food before finally succumbing. Now that's a protest!
Or how about this: as my great hero Bill Maher once said, "Put your cervix where your mouth is."
There are about 400,000 unused, fertilized embryos in storage, leftovers from fertility treatments across the country. These embryos will eventually be thrown out if they're not used, or even worse, they'll be used for stem cell research. Why don't you female protesters offer up your uteruses to be a home to one of these unwanted zygotes for nine months? Hell, why stop at one? You could fit two or three embryos in there! Not convenient for a single college student to have triplets? Tough. Do you think it was convenient for Jesus to be crucified?
If OSU Right to Life stops talking the talk and starts walking the walk, then they will have my respect.
Nick Petersen
Student
Question for administrators
Every year the crosses come out, and every year there is controversy and arguments about the morality of abortion.
Quite frankly, I'm tired of talking about it (morality, that is).
The pro-lifers start with this display, then bring in the GAP (pictures of aborted fetuses on billboards) and have them set up in the Quad and drive back and forth in front of the grade schools around town.
The questions that come to my mind out of all of this are: Why is it that OSU allows the pro-life group to stick crosses in the lawn, but forbids the women's rights groups from tapping in tent stakes to hold up their posters? Why when the GAP comes do they use outside, paid labor instead of students? And reserve the whole Quad so NO other groups can practice free speech in response to what is being displayed?
Basically it all comes down to this question: Why does the OSU administration give special rights to the pro-life groups and restrict or punish women's rights and pro-freedom groups?
Rev. Benjamin D. Grimes Esq.
OSU Alumnus
Crosses in the Quad
A different approach
I was surprised to read your article Wednesday about the abortion protest on the MU lawn, which consisted of 3,000 crosses. I wasn't surprised that the demonstration took place (this is a fairly conservative school, after all), but I was surprised at the method they chose to stage their protest. Crosses? That doesn't seem like particularly powerful imagery to me. I mean, who cares.
"Geez, I didn't mind killing babies before, but now I see all these crosses, I'll change my heathen ways for sure!?"
You want a good idea for a protest? OSU Right to Life should steal a page from the book of those Irish political prisoners from 1981 who actually starved themselves to death for their political cause. Bobby Sands survived for 66 days without food before finally succumbing. Now that's a protest!
Or how about this: as my great hero Bill Maher once said, "Put your cervix where your mouth is."
There are about 400,000 unused, fertilized embryos in storage, leftovers from fertility treatments across the country. These embryos will eventually be thrown out if they're not used, or even worse, they'll be used for stem cell research. Why don't you female protesters offer up your uteruses to be a home to one of these unwanted zygotes for nine months? Hell, why stop at one? You could fit two or three embryos in there! Not convenient for a single college student to have triplets? Tough. Do you think it was convenient for Jesus to be crucified?
If OSU Right to Life stops talking the talk and starts walking the walk, then they will have my respect.
Nick Petersen
Student
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