by Jenna Nicodemus
A pro-life informational booth has taken Centre students by surprise as of this morning, November 19th. Sponsored by the Centre Republicans Club, the organization Students For Life of America – an anti-abortion group – set up a table complete with infographics and merchandise to advocate for the pro-life movement.
The booth seemed to focus on the ethicality of the organization Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit organization which provides services for women’s health in the United States, which includes abortions. In particular, the Students For Life of America booth argued that Planned Parenthood – which it dubbed an “Abortion Goliath” – does not support women’s health, and may actually perform medical malpractice. The booth also argued that Planned Parenthood spends much of its money lobbying, and that the organization has racist, eugenicist origins.
Three infographics stood on the sides of the table which discussed how Planned Parenthood allegedly “routinely fails health inspections,” and “fights to remove … laws that protect minors from sexual abusers who use abortion to cover up their misdeeds.” One of the infographics also stated that “Planned Parenthood was founded by racist eugenicists, such as Margaret Sanger and Lothrop Stoddard, and their organization continues this legacy to this day.”
More generally, the infographics also contained statements such as “abortion is the number one cause of death in the Black community,” and “86% of [Planned Parenthood] locations are in minority communities.” One infographic stated that abortion pills are “more than four times more dangerous than surgical abortion,” and that “abortion pill-related emergency room visits have skyrocketed 500% over the past decade.” On pamphlet cards offered to students, there were also statistics stating that “97% of [Planned Parenthood] services to pregnant moms are abortions,” alongside the statement that “abortion is not healthcare.”
In addition to this, the booth had a suitcase on display which contained visualizations of the development of a fetus in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Several anonymous students shared their thoughts about the information booth with The Cento.
“The fact that they’re not doing it in Cowan without any jurisdiction does make me happy, y’know? They’re out here, they’re doing it properly, I guess. It’s not like they’re putting chalk everywhere and screaming and putting up papers, like last year. As somebody who’s come from a place that’s really pro-life and disrespectful about it, I do appreciate that they’re doing it in a way that is more respectful than it could be. And I feel like on a campus that is highly liberal and hasn’t been inundated with super conservative Republican beliefs, it’s hard for people to realize that it could be so much worse. But I don’t appreciate the fact it’s all lies. I don’t like that, because I think if you’re gonna have an opinion, at least say stuff that’s true, y’know? That pisses me off. But they’re always gonna be here. It feels the same as when the Bible people are here; I just straight up ignore it.”
“I think it is purely rage-baiting and not actually an intellectual conversation. They’re currently arguing with people that abortions have never been medically necessary, when we know for a fact that women in Texas have died from sepsis – a young teen recently died from sepsis because she was denied an abortion. And if they argue that ‘restrictions have exceptions,’ those exceptions are not defined well enough for doctors to feel empowered to perform abortions, so women end up dying or losing their babies to begin with, so ultimately the entire measure is counterproductive. The information is also incredibly rude and misinformation, and also exploits different communities. Apparently they take issue with Planned Parenthood lobbying, when they also lobby; there are pro-life organizations that lobby. Also, there’s the fact that Planned Parenthood helps people have children too, and makes it more affordable to have those appointments and to have ultrasounds. It’s really counterproductive considering that the Republican party deliberately defunds healthcare, child support, child education, preschool and anything that helps an actual family, so if they wanna do something about it, they need to actually stick to their work.”
“Y’know, conservatives are really good at isolating themselves from the rest of the world and calling everybody else crazy. So it’s that. It’s just a measure for them to pat themselves on the back and be like, ‘Yeah, we’re the rational ones! They’re the crazy ones for asking for healthcare and rights.’ And so, either way, you kinda need that in order to justify your own beliefs, because, if people are telling you nicely and debunking your arguments that way, you don’t have anything left.”
“I think that, if someone believes in something, he or she ought to defend it, even and especially if it is unpopular. If one believes a woman has a right to an abortion, they should defend that belief. If one believes the unborn have the right to live, they ought to defend that as well. Alexander Hamilton once said, ‘if you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything.’ Those words are as true now as they were during the founding of our country – and it is the liberty to stand up for what is right that defines our nation’s spirit.”
“They have the right to be there, as long as they’re not waving it in people’s faces and shoving it down their throats. They had to schedule to be there, and they have freedom of speech. I just have a problem when people start shoving their beliefs down other peoples’ throats. I know I personally have been yelled at on university campuses, not for who I am or for any of my beliefs, but I was walking across campus and they were literally on a milk crate and they were standing there yelling. But yeah. Was it a little unnerving that they were there? I mean, yeah. But I feel like it’s a very controversial topic, and I’m not sure why they brought it up on campus so soon; I think people are still sore after the election. I feel like if they had done it in a quieter manner people would have been more accepting.”
Regardless of how one feels about the Students For Life of America booth on campus today, it has certainly stirred stimulating academic and personal discussion amongst the student body.
To conclude, we offer a nonpartisan fact check about some of the claims made by the booth, in the interest of promoting truth and objectivity on the Centre College campus.
- There is little evidence to suggest that Planned Parenthood fails health inspections any more than any health other institution.
- It is true that Planned Parenthood’s origins contain racism and eugenics, as the invention of birth control has such origins historically. However, Planned Parenthood is open about this history, and does not contemporarily stand by nor support these views in any way (plannedparenthood.org).
- Abortion is not the number one cause of death in the Black community. The top three causes of death in the Black community are heart failure, cancer, and HIV infection (minorityhealth.hhs.gov). However, it is true that Black infant mortality rate, as well as maternal health risk for Black women, is comparatively higher than those in other communities – such as white communities – but this is due to systemic oppression (cdc.gov).
- Abortion pills and surgical abortion have similar, albeit minimal, risk rates, with surgical and procedural abortion actually having marginally higher risk rates, at 0.41% (ansirh.org). Overall, abortion pills are considered very safe.
- Abortion pill-related emergency room visits have accelerated because of the increased access the general public has had to abortion pills (kff.org).
- Planned Parenthood’s top 3 services in the past year were STI / STD testing and treatment, contraception, and pregnancy / prenatal care. Only approximately 3% of the total offered services constituted abortions in the past year, according to Planned Parenthood’s 2024 annual report (plannedparenthood.org).
- Abortion is not Planned Parenthood’s main mission; their main mission has many tenants, such as providing inclusive reproductive health care and promoting medically accurate education (plannedparenthood.org).
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Opinions expressed by writers and editors do not represent the views of The Cento. The Cento is a non-partisan, unbiased newspaper that seeks to inform students and promote open discourse from all perspectives. If you have opinions, please feel free to share them with The Cento. Email thecento.centre@gmail.com or DM @thecento.centre on Instagram.