Graphic Abortion Photos Test Students' Morals

Whether or not abortion should be legal has been a hot topic for debate since Roe v. Wade in 1973, wherein abortion was made legal.

This issue, which has led to much discussion over the years, made its way to the campus of Santa Monica College last Wednesday.

Members of Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust came to the campus to let students know that abortion is wrong and should be illegal.

Jeronimo Saldana, Associated Students president and others bore witness to the signs and graphic photographs.

He was among many of the students that did not like what they saw.

"I don't like the inflammatory propaganda the pictures are showing. I think the message is not there," said Saldana. "I think they the underestimated the college campus because there is a large crowd out here and my students are educated and this group can't handle it."

Violence almost broke out in an area that is normally peaceful in spite of various groups that come to the campus to display their propaganda.

According to Officer Malone of the SMC Police Department things became so heated at one moment that a shoving match almost broke out. Cooler heads prevailed though, and tempers cooled with several officers from the College Police watching. No arrests were made.

Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust is a small group based in Southern California. The group is made up of about a 100 volunteers. Ten of these volunteers came on campus to protest the right to abort a child.

On Thursday the same number of volunteers will make their way to California State University Fullerton, once again to get their message across to other students. This group targets colleges, Planned Parenthood, and places signs along the Venice Boardwalk to let all know that they feel abortion is wrong.

Graphic images were displayed at the Library Walkway for all to see. These images included aborted fetuses after being removed from the mothers, live fetus' inside their mothers' womb, and even images of dead adults from the genocide of Nazi Germany from World War II.

"I know the images on these signs are not a pretty sight, but neither is abortion," said Keith Mason, director of campus activity for this pro-life group. "Our hope is that with these images we will be able to change some of the students' minds about this issue." He said, "Some of the students on the campus have expressed interest in the issue."

Even after the campus police had to come in to cool things down, sides were still drawn. There still were many heated arguments between members of this pro-life group and students who did not agree with their point of view.

SMC students Natasha Vargas-Cooper and Lauren Speer did not like the images and displays. They began to walk around the same area with signs they made to rebut the messages from this pro-life group.

"I just think that they are using these huge ugly pictures to scare people and startle them and pushing a religious message as well," said Speer.

"I think it's completely overboard, it makes abortion a crime. It's not anymore. I think we are going backwards in this discussion," said Cooper. "This is just pure propaganda and nonsense, and is distasteful and ugly."