The "Pro Life" Club (I put Pro Life in quotes, because "Anti Choice" is a far more accurate name) is currently holding its annual "Respect Life" (read: "Trample on Reproductive Rights") week. Among others, past "Respect Life" events have included lectures, pamphlet distributions, and mock gravesites meant to represent the number of pregnancies terminated each year. However, while these events are all despicable and misogynist (and downright oxymoronic, in the case of one year"s "Pro Life Feminist" talk), perhaps the singular most offensive event is the traditional gallery of fetus images, which is generally placed in a high-traffic area on campus.
The intent, undoubtedly, is to show viewers that those fetuses are babies, too (even though they"re not), thus tugging at emotional heartstrings and reminding everyone that abortion is cold-blooded murder (even though it"s not). "How could you possibly abort me"" the gallery seems to be asking. "Look at how close I am to being fully formed and adorable! Aren't I precious?"
What the "Pro Life" Club doesn"t realize, however, is that this gallery"and its underlying message that "abortion is murder""has the potential to be extremely triggering to those members of the Boston College community who have either had abortions or who have miscarried. To the former, it"s accusing them (wrongly) of murder, while not even bothering to consider the reasons they might have had for getting the abortion in the first place. To the latter, the gallery"s images represent a painful wound that"s now being reopened for the sake of making an ill-informed political point.
Let me ask you, members of the "Pro Life" Club: while you were busy smugly congratulating yourselves for having come up with this idea, did you ever once consider the impact it would have on the (undoubtedly higher than you think) number of women at BC who have either had abortions or suffered miscarriages" I find it hard to believe that you did. That would have required caring about women, which no "Pro Life" club can legitimately claim to do.
Unfortunately, the administration continues to endorse the "Pro Life" Club and its "Respect Life" week, so it would not be reasonable to request that you discontinue your harmful "celebrations" of life (at the expense of women"s health, education, and economic status, but you never seem to mention any of that). However, it is not unreasonable to request that you stop displaying such triggering photos on campus. Stop shaming the women within the Boston College community who have had abortions. Stop reminding the women within the Boston College community who have miscarried of a painful, possibly traumatic episode in their lives. There are other ways to get your point across than the emotional equivalent of slapping these women in the face.
Ava Garcia
A&S '13
is a member of the 
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