November 12, 2001
Graphic abortion display stirs concern at Baylor
___By John Hall
___Staff Writer
___WACO--Baylor University officials moved a three-sided 18-foot tall anti-abortion exhibit from the center of campus Oct. 31 after a group of about 30 students marched into the university president's office to protest the graphic nature of the display.
___Throughout the day, groups of students gathered for discussions around the demonstration, which was sponsored by the student organization Bears for Life and erected by an outside group, Justice For All. The exhibit included pictures of bloody aborted fetuses.
___Although students stopped to discuss the abortion issue, a heated discussion between some students and Justice For All representatives about the tactics used in the presentation ebbed and flowed throughout the day, occasionally escalating into shouting matches.
LIZ HALL of Roseburg, Ore., leads a group of students in a protest against the graphic images displayed behind her, as she discusses the Bears for Life-sponsored anti-abortion exhibit with members of Justice for All on Fountain Mall at Baylor University. (Photo by Tommy Sutton, Baylor Lariat, Baylor University)
___Students expressed displeasure with the nature of the pictures on the exhibit, and several said they felt like the message was forced upon them because they could not avoid walking by it on their way to classes. They mentioned the signs that had been posted around campus that read "Warning! Genocide Pictures Ahead."
___Baylor students also expressed concern that a group of elementary students on campus that day might be exposed to images inappropriate for younger children.
___A group of about 30 students marched into the president's office in Pat Neff Hall around noon seeking an explanation for what they believed was an inappropriate display. Baylor officials quickly called a forum to discuss the exhibit.
___About 50 students came to the forum, where petitions were presented both to have the display removed and to keep it on campus another day.
___Dean of Student Development Dub Oliver approved the display, which previously had been exhibited at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University. He said he had read a description of it and had seen a brochure with pictures of the display, according to the Baylor Lariat.
___On the second day, the display was erected at a less central area of campus, but the debate continued around campus and in the pages of the student newspaper. The newspaper devoted the majority of its editorial page to the event, and letters from the student body have filled the page and the publication's website since.
___A representative of Justice For All said the exhibit was not meant to cause trouble on the campus but to persuade students to change their minds about the acceptability of abortion.
___"Our goal is to hopefully change hearts and save lives by showing the humanity of the unborn child and the inhumanity of abortion," Administrative Director Tammy Cook told the Lariat. "We regret the need for the disturbing nature of these photos, but injustice is very rarely visually appealing."
___University spokesman Larry Brumley, who said he was not surprised by the reaction of the student body, suggested the exhibit was meant to serve a different purpose.
___"It is a very controversial display, and I think the group that brought it is out to get the reaction and is trying to get shock value," he said.
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