By Jennifer Sandy / Staff Writer
to the point (Allison Perez / Staff Photographer )
By Jennifer Sandy / Staff Writer
Riverside City College became the home of an impromptu pro life vs. pro choice rally on March 14.
The quiet campus was stirred when the Riverside based pro life group known as Survivors set up three triad posters depicting what they believe are the horrors of abortion, such as almost fully developed fetuses aborted in the third trimester and information that there are approximately 3,500 fetuses aborted nationwide everyday.
“I believe everyone has the right to life, and I believe that abortion is inflicting on the rights of human beings,” said Survivors member Taylor McDonald.
The group tours the state putting on displays at colleges and universities in the hope of educating students about abortion, comparing it to the Jewish Holocaust and slavery. According to one witness, the pro choice students who chose to speak out against the group felt that they were being dehumanized and painted as monsters.
Justin Casteneda, a member of the campus group, Feminists Unite, has a different opinion.
“I’m not pro abortion, I’m pro choice,” Casteneda said. “People should have options.”
The debates grew more passionate as the issue of birth control and emergency contraceptives were brought up.
“Okay, so the argument is ‘it’s a life,’ right?” Enrico Zamora said, “So what’s wrong with emergency contraceptives, because emergency contraceptives actually stops women from becoming pregnant, and birth control actually stops the sperm and the egg from becoming a human being, so what is wrong with that?”
In the midst of all the heated arguments, the members of Survivors maintained they were open to friendly discussion and had nothing against those who opposed their views.
“We all have the right to our opinions,” said Survivors member Emilina Rosa. “I think our opinions are a little lopsided, we’ve even said we’re open to free and equal discussion and so far all we’ve been is bombarded.”
According to members of Survivors, they speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, and stand up for the rights of those who do not yet legally have any. They say that it is not an opinion, but a fact, that life starts at conception not at birth.
The heated rally cooled after about an hour and a half, members of Survivors began to pack up their posters and literature, and pro choice students with handmade signs hanging around their necks reading various sayings such as “Abortion is a choice. Rape is not,” headed off to class.
