Resurrecting one of the most drastically under-thought undertakings of the last few academic years, Campus Pro-Life is bringing back the Genocide Awareness Project.
The project, which, among other things, showcases gruesome images of the holocaust, the Rwandan genocide and the lynching of African-Americans, does a spectacular job of obscuring the actual issues of abortion. Though its supposed aim is to convince people that abortion is morally reprehensible, the real impact has far more to do with the controversy of the display than anything else.
The unfortunate aspect of the whole affair is abortion is an issue deserving proper consideration and continued attention in a university environment. When it is approached in the way it is with the GAP, however, it should no longer be bothered with.
The methods employed by the CPL– attempting to horrify the audience and link this response to abortion– effectively eliminates any capacity for rational discussion. If a link is to be drawn between abortion and the atrocities depicted, a very compelling argument is needed. This argument is certainly not clear and the tactics being used all but concede the point. Beyond this specific attempt at linking abortion to various atrocities, if there is a legitimate and substantive argument against abortion, it needs to be rationally developed. If it cannot be, then there is clearly nothing worthwhile to the argument. Resorting to scare tactics demonstrates that the group in question lacks anything thoughtful to say on the issue.
Even if it is disputed that this is the case and suggested that such tactics are resorted to only because people are too stubborn to listen to even the most thoughtful case against abortion, the GAP doesn’t make much sense. Instead of focusing attention on the issue of abortion, it creates a stir about the posters and the event itself.
Irrespective of the invalidity of the reasons for the university’s constraints upon CPL holding their display on university grounds, the members of the club should be thankful the decision was made. Perhaps now they will be able to spend their time developing a thoughtful way of approaching the issue.