Re: Calvin College administration needs to talk about abortion

Balancing the Conversation

Graphic by Yolanda Chow

Graphic by Yolanda Chow

I have been thinking about the representation of the abortion “conversation” on campus. It seems that there is but one loud voice; a voice expressed in plastic-wasting flags, dogged poster hanging, and last week’s opinion piece written by the president of Protect Life at Calvin. Any opposing voice is muffled by this predominantly conservative tsunami of syllogistic scat.

I believe in the sanctity of the right to choose. This choice is, fundamentally, a private property right for the person harboring the fetus. This notion is merely taken as a foil to the protect life opinion rather than being taken seriously. For example, the format of the “Stump the Pro-Lifer” event frames the conversation in a way that presupposes the actuality of “human” life in fetuses. Even the current political vomit adorning our otherwise pleasant Commons Lawn (aka the pink flags) assumes the pro-life position instead of “furthering the conversation,” as Caroline Smith hollowly asked.

The opinion piece titled “Calvin College administration needs to talk about abortion” was not written with the objective to have the administration pick a position but rather was begging for them to pick their position. Wherever the injustice in the abortion issue lays, the administration discussing it does nothing to alleviate the injustices or ameliorate the conversation. In fact, I believe that picking a position would do nothing but polarize the conversation further. If we need Le Roy to tell us what to think, we are missing the point of a liberal arts education.