Penn for Life constructs 'graveyard'

Penn's anti-abortion group Penn for Life hosted Respect Life Week, which came to a close yesterday with a controversial demonstration on College Green.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Penn for Life planted 35 paper tombstones on the Green -- one for each 100 fetuses aborted per day -- creating what members called a "Cemetery for the Innocent."

"We help people know how many children are aborted every day," said Penn for Life President and College senior Marissa Di Giovine.

According to Alan Guttmacher Institute statistics, widely used by Planned Parenthood, the number of fetuses aborted each year in the United States as of 1997 is 1.33 million, placing the country's rate among the highest for developed nations.

Another of Penn for Life's goals was to maximize visibility on campus.

"We wanted the voice of women who don't believe [they need to be] pro-choice to be feminist to be heard," Penn for Life organizer Shannon Martino said. "We want to make sure there is awareness that our group exists, let people know in what we believe."

The group said many people approached them during the day, most with positive comments to share.

This type of demonstration is one in which many campuses partake. However, crosses are typically the symbol chosen to represent abortions.

"Ours is a broad spectrum organization," Martino said. "We respect all religious ideas. That's why we chose the tombstones."

While the idea of using tombstones might be unsettling for some, organizers said their intent was to have people reflect on the issue.

"It may be extreme, but death is extreme, and it is not something to be taken lightly. We want to show how many children die in one day," Martino said. "This is more contemplative."

Many students on the Green agreed with the group members' initiative.

"I support them because they believe that life does begin at conception, so they are trying to promote awareness of the alternatives to abortion," College and Engineering senior Lydia Dowlath said. "Yes, they do have shock tactics, but so does Penn for Choice."

Penn for Life organizers added that more graphic visuals only anger people, and group members say they sympathize with and support pregnant women who may be facing an abortion.

Penn for Life's Cemetery for the Innocent was matched by Penn for Choice's own counter-demonstration.

"We are here to respond to Penn for Life's demonstration -- not to engage in discussion, but to show we are here," Penn for Choice member and College senior Lynn Huang said.

The group's members took off their shirts to show that anything can be done with one's body, if the person feels it is appropriate.

"We can strip our clothes, but we're not going to strip our rights," Huang said. "We are not pro-abortion. You have one because you need to. ... There are so many other factors, and Penn for Life does not take them into account."

Penn for Choice's objective was also to contest the amendment banning partial-birth abortion that is currently being discussed in Congress and to promote the March for Women's Lives that will take place on Sunday in Washington, D.C.

"Pennsylvania will send 30 buses, and Penn is sending one-quarter of them," Huang said. "People are starting to look around and see that our rights are in danger."

This week, Penn for Life also hosted discussions in the Towne Building -- last night's featured MaryAnn Wall, a post-abortion counselor for the nationwide organization Project Rachel.

"The session will refer to abortion, euthanasia and capital punishment, as well as to population control in the world," Martino said. Wall "will be speaking about what she does and why it is an important calling."

During the first two days of Respect Life Week, the organization held a bake sale to collect funds for the Alpha Pregnancy Center, an organization concerned with supporting pregnant women by providing housing services and prenatal care.

On Tuesday, Penn for Life circulated a petition asking for a moratorium on the death penalty in Pennsylvania, and on Wednesday, the group held a candlelight vigil on the Green.

Penn for Life is now preparing to launch Nurturing Network, a program that allows pregnant women -- especially those considering adoption -- to transfer their academic credits to another institution for the period of their gestation and have them transferred back to Penn after they have given birth.

"Women may feel uncomfortable living on their campus because of social stigma," Martino said. "This way, they may take more night classes or be closer to home."

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