There is nothing like subjecting your peers to bloodied fetuses and misleading statistics for some club T-shirts.
Student organizations like Students for Life were able to do this by renting out the mall in front of the Memorial Union and using it to bring the group Justice for All as a fundraising activity.
Tuesday, The State Press reported on Justice for All, an organization that visits many universities to display anti-abortion images.
The disturbing images in the displays caught many people's attention, including mine.
Field Operations Manager Tammy Cook claims that the purpose of the exhibit is "to dignify women with information to make an informed choice."
My favorite statement the group made was the comparison of genocide in history to the detached arms of a fetus grasping a dime. It raises the question of when a fertilized egg can be considered a human with rights.
But the message they seem to be encouraging does not come out of information; instead, it comes from fear.
Bioengineering junior Karen Chow agrees.
"The gruesome collage is successful in preying on your emotions. Seeing these photos causes feelings of fear, guilt and disgust to surface, smothering the ability to step back and actually rationalize the issue," Chow said.
Justice for All claims that the images are only disgusting because they are unjust.
Justice for All targets universities because they feel that freedom of thought is ironically absent from our education. According to www.jfaweb.org, "opposition to abortion is not tolerated in academia."
People are allowed to decide for themselves whether abortion is right or wrong and I have never felt otherwise on this campus. What should not be tolerated are misleading statements proudly parading as factual information.
Justice for All contrasts bloody images of abortions with healthy newborns to falsely imply that giving birth is an alternative free of blood or gore.
They cite a study from 1994 that notes a possible correlation between abortion and breast cancer.
The widely acclaimed Nature Publishing Group reported last March that in a comprehensive review of studies all over the world, the supposed link between breast cancer and abortion has been dismissed.
When assessing the risks of a medical procedure like abortion, it is best to look at several studies that are current and look at the most current technologies.
Medical procedures are continuously improving and risks are being lessened. Furthermore, we often misunderstand the risks until they are studied more.
The only references cited in the display were from six or more years ago. If these are indeed risks to be worried about, why haven't subsequent studies been cited?
I think organizations like this one will stop at nothing to end abortions even if they have to purposely mislead students with obscure risks and clever pictures.
Whether or not that is the case, Justice for All will continue to market legislation and public opinion that sits better with their religious beliefs.
On the other hand, I will continue to regard them as an unnecessary obstruction on a busy campus.
In the future, I would prefer it if these obstructions to benefit student organizations weren't disgusting and a paltry attempt to force outdated facts and fearful images on intelligent students.
Anjali is a molecular biosciences and biotechnology junior. Send your comments and criticisms to anjali.patel@asu.edu.
