Campus pastor Thad Holcombe dismisses us as "fundamentalists" who "declare their views to be the word of God" and he charges that we "are not trying to foster dialogue." Kansan columnist Jonathan Huskey answered Mr. Holcombe better than any of us might have:
Fire that would make Dante whimper came from the eyes of many on campus last week. A collective ‘how dare you’ sprang from pro-choice activists.
However, the open-minded who ventured to listen instead of relying on defiant slogans that didn’t apply, were confronted by arguments from a compassionate and respectful group.
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The founder of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, Gregg Cunningham, is an unusual leader of the pro-life movement. Although he has connections to militant factions that would just as [sic] beat you with a Bible than a reasoned argument, he chooses the more thoughtful path.
Cunningham stated that he didn’t need to pitch Biblical curve balls (though he is a Christian) to win, and he is right because the pro-choice movement bats with a feather at the philosophical plate.
Why did someone attempt a hit and run on the center’s display (admittedly ugly but effective)? I can’t be sure of the motivation, perhaps it was a combination of anger and revulsion. What is clear is that he didn’t care to engage in any meaningful dialogue.
It would be slightly less reprehensible had this crash-test dummy voiced his opinion and organizers of the protest had smitten him with scripture and damned his evil soul. Having listened to the way Cunningham and his staff discussed abortion in a polite and philosophical manner, it’s most likely this guy just lost all rationality and succumbed to his own frustration.
It wouldn’t be surprising because to be pro-choice and debating a rational pro-lifer is an exercise in frustration. You expect them to be conservative, anal jerks intent on proscribing biblical [sic] interpretations into every nook and cranny of our pluralistic society. Then when that doesn’t happen, what’s a normal pro-choicer to do?
Or concerning "dialogue," consider Stephen Thomas’ Tuesday, 29 September letter to the editor of the Journal-World:
After looking at the gruesome displays prepared by the anti-abortion activists, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that, in contrast to their propaganda posters, these people were extremely effective in consistent and reasoned discourse. Their arguments were based on facts, not on emotions.
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Great! I was quite excited. Now I could walk over to the pro-abortionists and improve my knowledge of the subject.
* * *
Surprise. These activists, who obviously had very strong convictions about the issue, were not willing to defend their position, except by shouting slogans .... Their reasons were:
(a) they were tired, (b) there was no common ground between them and their opponents, and (c) they were ‘reacting’ .... I tried this again with another person, but got such a look of loathing and bewilderment that I became embarrassed and gave up. I told them they had already lost in an intellectual sense.
It is tempting to commend to Mr. Holcombe’s consideration 1Timothy 4:1-2 which warns of "teachers" who in the "last times" will "tell us lies with straight faces and do it so often that their consciences won’t even bother them." But reference to "the word of God" might merely deepen his conviction that we are dreaded "fundamentalists."
The Wednesday, September 23, 1998 issue of The University Daily Kansan published a similar front page story on the same press conference, headlined "Campus organizations rebuke abortion display." The spokesmen for pro-abortion groups said " ... they recognized the right to free speech but thought the anti-abortion display went too far." How far is too far?
Pro-choice Coalition president Sarah Page, Prairie Village senior, said she was outraged by the display.
‘This message is not welcome at the University, nor will it be tolerated,’ Page said.
If only Mr. Decker (Queers and Allies) had been there to remind Ms. Page and her companions of the Lawrence community’s commitment to "tolerance," "diversity," "pluralism," "free speech," "The First Amendment," "etc.," "etc." The article went on to say:
David Lee, director of operations for the center, agreed that the photographs were offensive but said that the subject was an offensive one. Lee said the photographs being used to depict the victimized groups commonly were found in history books across the country.
By the next day had reported a statement from University officials, reminding faculty and students that, yes, the U.S. Constitution still applied on college campuses (by then three apparent professors had loudly and angrily cursed me as they hurried by). The coverage opened with a reference to the First Amendment:
Two of Kansas University’s top administrators are reiterating the importance of free speech in the wake of a controversial on-campus anti-abortion campaign.
Kansas University Chancellor Robert Hemenway and KU Provost David Shulenburger on Wednesday released a joint statement after repeated complaints from student groups about a display erected on campus by the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, based in Mission Hills, Calif.
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‘The presence on campus this week of the graphic displays of the so-called ‘Genocide Awareness Project’ has caused a great deal of distress to many members of our community. However, the University of Kansas, as a public university, is a place where the First Amendment must be exercised and the free exchange of ideas allowed.
‘While we regret the pain to some members of the university community that results from that free exchange, the university must maintain its role as a forum for reasonable dialogue. We encourage KU students, faculty and staff to use this opportunity to examine and express their views.
‘This group is on campus at the invitation of the University of Kansas Christian Legal Society, a registered student organization. The KU Department of Public Safety and the Division of Student Affairs are committed to protecting both visitors and the many members of the KU community who disagree with their point of view. Anyone who feels their safety threatened or has concerns about this issue should contact the Department of Public Safety (864-5900) or the Office of the Dean of Students (864-4060).’
Representatives of both sides "expressed their views" on the editorial page of the same day’s issue of the Kansan where every word of the editorial page was devoted to GAP (one editorial, two guest editorials and two letters to the editor). In one guest editorial, a member of the Black Student Union lamely attempted to justify violence against our staff, but he did a good job presiding over a meeting at which CBR made a presentation to the Black Student Union. Despite their opposition to GAP, several black leaders and members shared useful insights at that forum. Responding on the same editorial page, Caleb Stegall, of the Christian Legal Society, however, wrote a column entitled "Abortion does compare to Holocaust, slavery."
The combined Friday, Saturday & Sunday edition of The University Daily Kansan contained another above-the-fold, front page story on GAP with a headline stating "Protesters challenge display" and a subheadline which said "Student organizations lead march against anti-abortion group."
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