TURTL hosts anti-abortion protest, triggers counter protest
April 28, 2021
On April 21, Tulane University Right to Life hosted an anti-abortion protest on Academic Quad.
TURTL President Bailey Mirmelli said the purpose of the event was to address questions that the club believes are rarely asked on college campuses such as “what really is abortion, who does it concern, and is it ever necessary?”
“We wanted to have conversations with our peers, educate them on different perspectives and facts, and voice our support for life at all stages,” Mirmelli said.
The art exhibit, called “They’re Human, Too” was created by Louisiana Right to Life and includes graphics displaying information about the choices pregnant women have, textbook images of abortion procedures, faces of adopted celebrities and more.
Additionally, TURTL raised over $1,300 to support Louisiana Right to Life, a non-profit organization which works through activism, legislation, education and service to oppose abortion, euthenasia and other “life-destroying actions.” Mirmelli said TURTL chose to partner with LARTL because it wanted Tulane to be engaged in the dialogue that they were having on other college campuses.
“It is important that even though Tulane is a much different campus with much different demographics, students are still given the opportunity to have exposure to a perspective that—while often misunderstood and disregarded—fights for similar things that everyone wants for women and for people in general,” she said.
In conjunction with the exhibit, TURTL held a panel, also on April 21, entitled “Diversity in the Pro-Life Movement,” a conversation on the intersection between feminism, progressivism and the anti-abortion movement.
In response, members of Sunrise Tulane, Tulane Democrats, Students United for Reproductive Justice and Women and Youth Supporting Each Other partnered together to stage a counter-protest in which they collected donations for the New Orleans Abortion Fund and Big Easy Emergency Contraceptive. They raised over $900 for those causes.
WYSE Executive Director Caroline Slagle said the counter protest was organized to subvert the intentions of the exhibit.
“We wanted to take the momentum behind that event and redirect it towards something that would be beneficial, such as funding abortions in New Orleans through New Orleans Abortion Fund, and then also promoting access to emergency contraceptives,” Slagle said.
Rachel Landis, communications lead for Sunrise Tulane, also helped organized the counter-protest and said the money they raised to support access to abortions in New Orleans is worth celebrating.
“Coming together with other students passionate about reproductive justice was incredibly powerful and validating, and I hope that Tulane students know there are people on this campus willing to fight for their reproductive rights,” Landis said.
Michelle • Apr 29, 2021 at 10:37 am
I had a conversation with a friend yesterday about the issues of making women feel less-than in the conversations surrounding abortion. The thing that often deters people from the conversation surrounding life existing in the womb is that oftentimes women feel that their lives are being neglected with such statements.
With this, I ask one brief question: I wonder if the counter protesters took the time to converse with TURTL during their original protest?
– I ask this not to single one group out but rather because the second protest was a response to an original protest. Had it been a Pro-Life anti-protest to a Pro-Choice protest, I would wish they would speak to them prior to protesting. It seems logical to know the ideas and beliefs of the thing that one is against before standing against it.
One reason why I have an underlying assumption that no conversation had been had is that the signage in the anti-protest pointed to the issue of mothers being placed as less-than. Something that has time and time again amazed me about TURTL is their respect for all life including the mothers’. In taking time to talk with their members, one would find peace in knowing their support for homeless, for prisoners on death row, for minorities in spaces of violence, for *all* life. These are only a few of the topics that I have personally spoken about with a prior-president of TURTL!.
As a Pro-Life Womanist, I know that Pro-Life has been misconstrued to be a conversation about anti-abortion. This deeply saddens me, yet groups like TURTL bring hope to the conversation of life by truly being willing to face all questions and comments with grace, eloquence, and with facts.
Indeed, I am biased in this conversation. Yet do not let my bias deter you from asking the deeper questions about what Pro-Life and Pro-Choice movements truly stand for. Because we are all biased in this conversation.
***For all Pro-Life people and Pro-Choice people:
Good questions to ask yourself (and to not be judged for in your response – you have a right to an opinion and should be respected in that freedom):
How was the movement I support founded?
Where do I source majority of my facts?
When was the most recent data produced to support my movement’s ideals?
Is there a continuous release of information and facts by leaders of my movement?
Is the primary method of rebuttal in my movement opinion based, or factual?
^^ These are a good place to start. And funny thing about these questions is that they are exactly the same/similar (just worded to fit the topic) to the questions people are required to ask when reviewing scientific articles. Questions of foundational biases, sources, release date, continuation of data through time, and language to support.
Remember that your are respected in your human divinity in your freedom to chose your opinions! Speak your mind, and have hard conversations with people who think the opposite. Finally, do not be afraid to change your mind. If your beliefs cannot hold firm in a conversation, it may be time to find a different answer (and that goes for all sides, Pro-Life and Pro-Choice).