PEI campus hit by pro-life chalkings
CHARLOTTETOWN (CUP) —
Students arriving on the UPEI
campus on October 9 were bombarded
with pro-life messages left
in chalk by Students For Life, a
student group opposed to abortion.
The group used chalk to scrawl pro-life messages on pathways leading in nearly every direction on campus. Their messages included slogans such as "Life is Beautiful," "Right to Life" and "I am happy you were born!"
The group also drew footprints to represent the first steps of children. Along one walkway, the chalkings traced the development of a fetus during its time in the womb, accompanied by lines from "Week 5: You Have Toes!!!!" right up to "Month 6: Kickin' Kickin' Kickin'."
UPEI students took to Facebook and Twitter to express their displeasure with the campaign.
"I saw the messages on the walk to class," said computer science major Natasha Webster. "Needless to say, my morning was unecessarily ruined."
Brent Mitton expressed his reaction with a satirical tone via Twitter.
"Two thoughts walking through campus this morning, 'I should have worn a jacket' and 'I should reconsider that abortion I'd been planning.'"
Music student Kate Thompson, who identifies herself as pro-choice but not pro-abortion, also noted displeasure with this morning's messages.
"I find it very difficult to relate to this kind of an 'in-your-face' message," said Thompson.
"It also makes me feel like they are completely closed to countering opinions and working out compromise. Their assumptions that anyone who has a child is pro-life are so wrong that it makes it difficult for anyone to take their group seriously."
Earlier in the year, the PEI Reproductive Rights Organization made international headlines with their campaign to attain access to abortions for women on Prince Edward Island. Currently, PEI is the only Canadian province that does not provide abortion services.
The group used chalk to scrawl pro-life messages on pathways leading in nearly every direction on campus. Their messages included slogans such as "Life is Beautiful," "Right to Life" and "I am happy you were born!"
The group also drew footprints to represent the first steps of children. Along one walkway, the chalkings traced the development of a fetus during its time in the womb, accompanied by lines from "Week 5: You Have Toes!!!!" right up to "Month 6: Kickin' Kickin' Kickin'."
UPEI students took to Facebook and Twitter to express their displeasure with the campaign.
"I saw the messages on the walk to class," said computer science major Natasha Webster. "Needless to say, my morning was unecessarily ruined."
Brent Mitton expressed his reaction with a satirical tone via Twitter.
"Two thoughts walking through campus this morning, 'I should have worn a jacket' and 'I should reconsider that abortion I'd been planning.'"
Music student Kate Thompson, who identifies herself as pro-choice but not pro-abortion, also noted displeasure with this morning's messages.
"I find it very difficult to relate to this kind of an 'in-your-face' message," said Thompson.
"It also makes me feel like they are completely closed to countering opinions and working out compromise. Their assumptions that anyone who has a child is pro-life are so wrong that it makes it difficult for anyone to take their group seriously."
Earlier in the year, the PEI Reproductive Rights Organization made international headlines with their campaign to attain access to abortions for women on Prince Edward Island. Currently, PEI is the only Canadian province that does not provide abortion services.
