Students for Life gathered outside Fairchild-Martindale Library on Tuesday for “National Pro-Life Chalk Day,” organized by Students for Life of America.
Lehigh’s chapter of Students for Life of America — a nonprofit anti-abortion organization that joins high school and college students across the country — deviated from what they’ve promoted in the past.
Last year, during the organization’s chalking events, themes included advocating against chemical abortions and Planned Parenthood. This semester’s event focused on female victims of sexual abuse and support for women after abortion.
Students in the club drew on the sidewalk while the club’s president, Angel Castañeda, ‘27, walked back and forth monitoring the activity.
Jillian Colon, ‘27, — the only woman at the event — wrote in support of improving maternal health and expressed being pro-children before and after birth, something she said the pro-life movement doesn’t advocate enough for.
One sentence read: “Pro-life means pro-improving maternal health.”
According to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health, mothers in states with active abortion bans are more than twice as likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth or during the postpartum period in comparison to states where abortion is accessible.
Colon said she ran the message by the other members of the club, and they approved it, so she thinks they agree with her opinion.
She also said as someone who was once pro-choice, she empathizes with the pro-choice movement.
Colon said she made the ideological switch when she became a Christian and heard stories about women who, despite their struggles, still wanted to have their children.
“Since it’s something that affects women in a particular way, I do think women should be at the center of it,” Colon said. “I’m comfortable being a woman in this movement.”
Colon said she considers herself conservative and believes in conservative values, but doesn’t think only conservatives can be pro-life.
Students not part of Students for Life America walked around the library as the sun set, taking photos of the chalk and discussing the content among themselves. One student joked about pouring water on the messages once the students finished.
A student, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of her story, said the event was intentionally provocative and was intended to incite a reaction from students.
She said as someone who has had an abortion, she found out she was pregnant while in another state on vacation and couldn’t find access to reproductive healthcare. She said the fear of not knowing what to do and having to wait until she was in a state that allowed abortion access was paralyzing.
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade — a landmark supreme court decision that guaranteed federal protection for abortion — states have been able to decide their own abortion laws. As of Aug. 16, 13 states have full abortion bans with few exceptions and 41 states have gestational limits.
The student said she attends Lehigh on financial aid, and if she said if she carried out the pregnancy, she wouldn’t have been able to care for her child financially.
“If I had been subjected to what these people want, I would have not been able to go to school,” she said.
She also expressed concerns about male anti-abortion advocates framing pregnancy as something good for women to be entrapped in.
Benjamin Salvucci, ‘29, said the matter of abortion is partially a man’s business because they contribute to pregnancy.
Salvucci said he’s disgusted by people online claiming they’d have an abortion if they were pregnant with a boy, claiming it’s “sexism in the most literal sense of the word.”
He said men should speak just as loudly as women because the issue affects everyone.
“My sex, my gender doesn’t determine the validity of my argument,” Salvucci said. “You can’t discount my opinion simply because I can’t get pregnant.”
Salvucci said Students for Life’s events haven’t historically received positive feedback from students.
Salvucci said the Students for Life Groupme consists of 70 to 80 members, but about six students regularly attend meetings.
Three were at the chalk event.
He said low meeting turnout is due to their 6 p.m. meetings on Mondays, where students are often busy.
“We do have a lot of people who are interested, and would come if they had the time,” Salvucci said.
By 8 p.m, the dissenters poured water on the messages, washing away specific words that changed the sentences.
“And yes, I don’t like abortion,” became “And yes, I like abortion.”
“Please don’t pour water,” became “pour water.”
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