Martin Luther King, Jr. would not have supported likening women’s healthcare to a lynching.  As a woman of color, I am deeply offended that Students for Life would even invoke his name.  This is just another example of how the radical anti-choice lobby insensitively and creatively warps history to further their political agenda.  I find this utterly inappropriate and morally reprehensible, particularly because Dr. King won an award from Planned Parenthood for supporting women’s healthcare.  But this barely scratches the surface of the issues posted in this week’s Broadside [April 9 issue] about the abortion protests that occurred on our campus.  Apart from the fact that only one member of Patriots for Choice was included in the article (and with far less space) to the two that were included from Students for Life, it appears that some things were either left out from carelessness or simple bias.  First and foremost, Students for Life is not a recognized student organization at George Mason.  Second, this article was simply a spotlight on the anti-abortion group’s efforts and advocacy.  Patriots for Choice’s entirely grassroots effort was not shown in the appropriate light whatsoever.  This article made a mockery of the effort and hard work of numerous social justice and ethnic groups on campus who were absolutely appalled by the presence of the so-called Genocide Awareness Project.  If the Broadside sent representatives to actually observe our presence instead of simply taking everyone at their word after the fact then the truth could have been reported.  The truth is this: students, faculty, and staff were overwhelmingly disgusted by the presence of this group on our campus.  Not only because of the gruesome imagery displayed but also because of what the group implies: that a medical decision one in three women make is in anyway comparable to genocide.  To denigrate the atrocities that occurred during the Holocaust is outside of the scope of civil discourse.  This group is not representative of the George Mason community as a whole and that was hardly a take away from that article.  But, again, perhaps if more than one person was quoted and a reporter was on the scene for more than a few minutes then it would have been properly reported.  Alas, I ask too much.

-Lily Bolourian

President, Patriots for Choice