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'You were taught wrong your entire life,' Mary Washington University freshman Harrison Reinhold (center) screams at an anti-abortion demonstrator during an impromptu debate about religion on campus yesterday.
Gathered at Ball Circle on the campus of the University of Mary Washington, students protest a rally held to oppose abortion yesterday. A barrier was erected to keep the two sides at a distance. |
Several dozen members of a anti-abortion group descended unannounced on the University of Mary Washington campus yesterday, spawning counterprotests by students that lasted into the afternoon.
Fredericksburg was the third stop on a week-long tour of Virginia college campuses by Life and Liberty Ministries. The Powhatan-based evangelical group kicked off the week at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, and plans to end tomorrow in Fairfax.
The group provoked outrage from pro-choice and anti-abortion students alike, by carrying blown-up depictions of mangled fetuses in a line stretching across campus.
Melissa Falkenstern, a junior, said she was appalled.
"I'm offended. I mean, this is our home," Falkenstern said. "You can't get to your classes, you can't get to your dorm, you can't get anywhere without having to walk through this."
Falkenstern was one of roughly 100 students gathered in the heart of campus chanting, "My body, my choice," waving homemade signs and verbally sparring with the demonstrators. One student even stripped down to his underwear in protest.
Group founder and self-described anti-abortion missionary Dennis Green said he was not surprised by the stunt.
"We saw something like this last year," he said. "When you've got kids who can't intellectually debate they resort to things that get attention."
Campus officials ordered Green and his followers to a "free-speech zone" designated by police barricades after the university and Fredericksburg Police Departments fielded several complaints.
"We were inundated with calls from concerned students and parents," said University Police Chief James Snipes.
Snipes said that only one student reported feeling unsafe on campus.
"She said the images were disturbing. I told her that she was free to walk away," Snipes said.
Students were urged to respect the protesters' rights in a campuswide e-mail sent by the Vice President for Student Affairs Bernard Chirico.
"The right to free expression is one of our country's most important concepts," he said.
Many students expressed more frustration with the protesters' methods than with their message.
"I'm a Christian, I'm pro-life, and I'm disgusted," said senior Ashley Davis. "This is the worst tactic anyone could possibly use."
English department Chairwoman Teresa Kennedy suspended her medieval literature class when students wanted to check out the demonstration. She said that she was disappointed by what she found.
"This does not constitute a protest," she said. "This is a shouting match."
Katy Burnell: 540/374-5000, ext. 5779
