By Jessie Hethcoat, Guest Commentary
I'd like to address Ann Cowan's article, where she wrote about the Cemetery of Innocents memorial on Nov. 2, 2010. For those that are unfamiliar with the memorial, it is an annual event on the UP campus where the Voice for Life club, a part of campus ministry, lines the front of the chapel with small white crosses as symbolic grave markers. There are 377 of them to represent the 3,770 abortions that occur each day in the U.S.
In the fall of 2008, my freshman year, I remember walking to The Commons for dinner and on the way finding the white crosses lining the walkway to the church. To put it bluntly, I was shocked.
Sure, the Catholic Church has a clear pro-life stance; but realistically, abortion is a topic that's extremely divisive and not to mention a personal, private decision. I was originally disturbed by the display, but I came to a conservative Catholic school aware of its values, just like everyone else here. Although students may not agree with it, the school's religious affiliation allows for it to create displays like the Cemetery of Innocents.
The truth is indeed that we are all touched by abortion. I have no doubt that we all know someone who has made that gut-wrenching, life-altering decision. As the members of Voices for Life remind us, there are 3,770 abortions a day — a startling statistic.
But chances are, you have absolutely no idea that someone you know has been affected by abortion. Why? We live in a world where abortion is evil, because of stigmatizing displays like the Cemetery of Innocents. The women around you who have terminated pregnancies live with their secret, knowing they're better off internalizing the experience than facing the condemnations of others.
Those who have been affected by an abortion do not need a reminder.
They live with that decision for the rest of their lives. To make this touchy, individual issue so in your face is confrontational, not unifying. While I appreciate efforts to bond pro-choice and pro-life opinions, I simply don't understand how Cowan could claim that the Cemetery of Innocents memorial does anything remotely close to "uniting" two sides.
I'm not trying to wax philosophical on the pro-life/pro-choice debate, which is a bit exhausted at this point. I have not, nor will I, identify whether I am pro-choice or pro-life in this article. Here, I'm trying to be a voice for any woman who may have been hurt by this display and publicly acknowledging that the Cemetery of Innocents does indeed hurt people.
My arguments are no better or worse than anyone else's; they're only different. My opinions, which I am entitled to, are well informed — just as Cowan's are.
Rather, I wish to assert that the Cemetery of Innocents is a sensationalistic tool the Voice for Life club uses to proclaim their pro-life stance. This is not to say that the sensationalism is necessarily distasteful, nor does it proclaim something untrue. I have no reason to doubt the statistics Voices for Life provides our campus.
I always believed that the memorial served its purpose well, but I always thought the purpose was to show the harsh reality of abortion, which is that it occurs with great frequency. However, it's unreasonable to claim that by showing these realities Voices for Life is uniting two viewpoints; when in fact, they are only driving them further away from each other.
Jessie Hethcoat is a junior English and psychology major. She can be contacted at hethcoat12@up.edu.
