By Sarah Horsley
When students finally graduate from high school and get to college, they are, for the first time in their lives, given free reign.
They shuffle off the constraints of parents, principals and other authorities, and are more willing and able to behave as they wish, which for some includes outspoken protesting.
However, when students express their opinions on campus, many of their peers wonder why such expressions, deemed a nuisance, are not being stopped in favor of a more relaxed learning environment.
Lately, just to walk from class to class, students are subjected to anti-abortion chalking, signs and even a miniature graveyard.
Students with the Recognized Student Organization Cards for Life have been accused of defacing property and distracting students from their normal activities.
A quick peek at the Bill of Rights confirms that Americans do in fact still have the right to peacefully assemble and speak their mind.
Unfortunately for many students, this includes the freedom to assemble a small graveyard to represent aborted fetuses.
While Cards for Life’s actions are disconcerting to many students, the group is well within their freedoms.
The University of Louisville cannot censor the behavior of the group without violating their rights, but students who disagree with their policies or methods certainly have the right to respond. Freedom works both ways.
If students feel abortion is a woman’s right, they are more than welcome to express their opinions on campus and equally supported by the university.
College is a place for students to assault their opinions with new ideas and discuss issues with their friends and colleagues.
Diverse opinions should be accepted and embraced, and who knows? Some people might actually change their minds.
My advice to students who oppose the message of Cards for Life is to stop complaining about the issue and to start exercising their rights. A comparable demonstration can serve the opposing cause in the same manner.
The only limitation is students’ confidence in their ability to make a difference. Since some students have recently decided that they can make a difference and are doing their best, what stops others?
For many students a “fear of something unknown,” “a lack of time” or simply “not knowing where to start” can stifle efforts.
However, none of these excuses are acceptable if a student really wants to change people’s minds. If the cause is worthy, students can learn the unknown, make time and find a starting point.
If students are not willing to do these things to support being pro-choice, then they should not chastise those who are willing to support being anti-abortion.
It is a touchy subject that some may avoid over dinner, but without standing up for their beliefs, students lose credibility when complaining.
It is a personal choice that individuals can only make for themselves, but it is important to keep an open mind when others express their opinions.
Remember, these individuals are well within their legal rights and well within the campus guidelines.
It is up to students to respond, whether they agree or not, and as Jonathan Miller so openly stated at the Rally for Higher Education, “The place is here, the time is now, and the moment is ours.”
And it’s up to us to make a difference.
